The Enemy's Valentine
by dracosgirl4
Summary: FINISHED! Lucius is dead, Draco is troubled...Hermione breaks it off with Harry and is confused...the two somehow find comfort in one another and the fun begins.
1. Chapter 1

As usual I do not own any of these characters. They are the sole property of J.K. Rowling. I can only add my own plot and dream that I own them. Please no law suits. I am broke anyway.  
  
Here is my third story. I got this idea from an email requesting I do something for Valentine's Day. Lot's of people posted ideas and this is the one I picked. Again it's Draco and Hermione. This one might be a little fluffy, but I hope you can deal with that. I will definitely try to add some plot in there somewhere.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Harry, don't lose me" Hermione whined. It was a bright sunny day and they were wandering about Diagon Alley together to buy books and such. The streets were extremely busy and the couple was having trouble staying together. Harry grabbed her small hand and led her into Flourish and Blotts.  
  
"Sorry" he smiled to her as they were inside. The smile. Harry Potter's smile. It was famous. Her heart melted and she instantly forgave him. She intertwined his fingers into his and felt warmth spread through her hand. He leaned down and his lips softly brushed against hers.  
  
They wandered through the old store, which of course, was still packed with people. They had gotten their books already, today was just a day out to have fun before their final year at Hogwarts had begun.  
  
If it wasn't already obvious, Harry and Hermione had found some common ground with each other and became a couple at the end of their sixth year. It was still relatively new to each of them. For both, it was their first relationship.  
  
"Harry look at this book!" Hermione shouted over her shoulder to the boy who couldn't care less about books. "Oh Harry, this looks so interesting". She didn't take her eyes off it. She opened it reading the first page. She scanned it over and over with that excited look in her eyes. "I think I am going to buy it. I have been saving up money for a while now" she reasoned. She seemed to be mostly talking to herself though.  
  
Harry led her through the insane crowd to check out and leave the store. They approached the counter where a frazzled looking bald-headed man was waiting to take care of their purchase. "Is this all for ya?" he asked in a hopeful voice.  
  
"Yeah" Hermione answered to his immense relief. "You look busy today".  
  
"You don't even know the half of it" he muttered. "That will be 10 galleons" he told her. Hermione dug into the handbag she had been toting, but Harry was quicker. He pulled the money out of his pocket where it seemed to be burning a hole.  
  
"What?" he smiled when she looked at him. "You deserve a present every now and then, just for being you". She smiled back at him. He was so good to her. She took her purchase from the man and said thank you before they turned and headed out into the crowd in the street.  
  
"Ice cream?" he asked her. Of course her answer was yes. It couldn't get any better for her at this moment. She had a boyfriend that was also her best friend. She got to almost all her time with him. And he showered her with gifts.  
  
As it was such a beautiful sunny day, they decided to eat their ice cream out doors. They sat on the patio of the ice cream parlor and licked their cones until nothing remained but the chocolate Harry had smeared on his nose. Hermione wiped it off with her napkin. It was picture perfect.  
  
"Hermione, you have some chocolate on your face" he said to her looking like he was examining her closely.  
  
"Oh, where" she asked panicky. She didn't want to look stupid in front of him.  
  
"Right here" he replied as he leaned down and kissed her lips lightly. "Mmmm, it tastes sweet just like you".  
  
"Harry Potter, you are so corny" she laughed at him. 'But I love the attention' she thought to herself.  
  
The day passed by so quickly. The sun shined bright and there was not a cloud in the sky. Things were so easy. It was still summertime, and their homework was of course completed for the summer. Harry was grateful Hermione had made him do it early in the summer. Now he had nothing to worry about. He could spend all his time with her.  
  
Unfortunately, classes were going to start in only a few weeks. So their free time would be limited. But until then, Harry gave all his attention to Hermione. She was important to him, not only as a girlfriend but as a best friend also.  
  
****Two weeks later****  
  
"Harry, did you pack yet?" Hermione yelled through the Burrow. She walked up the crooked steps to Ron's room that Harry had also set up as his own. Clothes were strewn about the room. One trunk sat open at the foot of the bed, but nothing was contained in it. The room was a disaster, and they were getting nowhere with packing.  
  
"Harry Potter!" she yelled. "What in Merlin's name have you been doing all morning?". She walked over to the dark haired boy who sat on the bed looking like a deer in headlights.  
  
"Uh oh mate" Ron sniggered at his best friend. "Someone's in trouble with the wife" he joked to them. He ducked at Hermione's friendly punch. "Okay okay, I can take hint" he laughed before opening the door and vacating the room.  
  
"Harry, what am I going to do with you?" she asked him as she took inventory of the room. She was thinking of a plan of action. What to pack first?  
  
"This" he answered. He swept her up in a simple kiss. It was short and sweet. They weren't that experienced yet. Hermione had strict values and morals. But his kisses could melt her heart.  
  
"Hey you two!" a shrill voice called up the stairs. "Don't think I don't know what's going on! I'm a mother you know! Grab your trunks and get down here! It's almost time to leave" Molly called.  
  
Harry froze. It's almost time to leave. 'Crap'. "Uhh, Hermione?"  
  
"Oh shut up Harry and yes I will help you pack" she said rolling her eyes. 'This is Harry. This is wait-to-the-last-minute Harry. Something I guess I will just have to get used to' she reasoned to herself.  
  
Harry and Hermione picked up the clothes to pack them. Harry tossed into piles, Hermione tried to organize. "Hermione, please just pack. We have to go now. We don't have time to fold" he said impatiently.  
  
"Harry you can't be a slob like this. This is a mess". Each was just a little annoyed with the other.  
  
Finally the trunk was packed. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny packed their trunks into the car the Ministry allowed them to use. It was another sunny day, and it was a quarter till eleven. They needed to move quickly to get to the train on time.  
  
The car went as fast as it had ever been pushed. It squeezed through small cracks between traffic and invisibly through red lights. It went this way, it went that way, and time kept ticking down. Finally, they made it to King's Cross. Frantically the family pushed their trunks to the platform and all ran through one right after another. They had just made it. They were the last ones to board the train.  
  
"Harry, I have to sit in the Head compartment" Hermione told him with a hint of disappointment in her voice. But just a small hint. She was still slightly annoyed with the whole packing situation. Harry nodded in understanding and proceeded onto the train with Ron and Ginny.  
  
"Come back and sit with us later" he called back to her. She smiled. She really liked him. She continued on the train and noticed a compartment labeled "Head Boy and Girl Only". 'That's for me', she thought. 'Who could head boy be?' But deep down she already knew the answer to that. She was just hoping that she was wrong.  
  
She entered the compartment. No one was there yet. She was alone. She sat down beside the window and looked out into the station. They were still stationary. 'They should be here already. We were almost late as it was' she pondered.  
  
The golden compartment door slid open. She turned her head slowly and was upset when she saw him. Head Boy. He was right there. His golden hair shined in the sun, mostly due to the amount of gel that held it down. Silver eyes penetrated her own. He made eye contact and would not look away.  
  
"How did you ever get to be Head Boy?" she wondered out loud.  
  
"Save it Granger. Look, we don't have much to do together. We won't have to talk much. Now, I'm not a bad person. It should be obvious why I'm Head Boy. I'm brilliant, and I'm a model student. Let's just get through this" he sneered. He seated himself across from her. He hardly noticed her. She looked the same. Her bushy hair may have been tamed a little, but she had hardly changed. Her face looked a little older, but she was in no way gorgeous. She was just Hermione. Sweet and innocent. But of course that last thought didn't run through Draco's mind.  
  
He made his comments to her. He was Draco Malfoy. How could he not call her a mudblood at least once every hour. Soon she tired of being around him. "I will be back later if anyone comes looking for me" she told him quickly as though she didn't really want to have to talk to him at all.  
  
"Oh going to look for your loser boyfriend I presume?" he chided her. "Why you spend so much time with that dolt I will never understand. Although, takes one to know one I guess".  
  
She looked at him and anger flashed through her soft brown eyes. An emotion such a sweet girl should never have showing on her face. "Just go" he muttered.  
  
She took off. 'Just go?' she wondered to herself. No hateful remark there. Odd. Oh well. I don't really care right now. She slid open the door to Harry's compartment where he was seated beside Ron. Across from him was Ginny and Lavender. They were conversing avidly although Harry didn't seem too excited. He heard the door open and looked up. He smiled when he saw her.  
  
"Hermione, come sit by me" he said to her. She sat down next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder. The shoulder that had always been there. The shoulder that always makes her feel better after a run in with Draco. The shoulder that caught the single tear that ran down her cheek as she thought of the prospect of being Head Girl alongside Draco Malfoy all year.  
  
A/N: It seems very Harry/Hermione right now. But I promise it won't be. It will turn out, but I want to make it a good one. Please read and review! 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
It feels so good to feel the weight on my shoulder. It feels good to have a girl that needs you. I can tell Draco has ruffled her feathers. I can tell she is upset. She is my best friend, I always know. But I also know she is too stubborn to admit she has been upset by him. So I let her lay her head on my shoulder and I know she will feel better just by being with her friends.  
  
I feel something on my shirt. I think it's a tear. There is no way I will say anything in front of everyone. I am not going to embarrass her. "Mione, wanna walk with me to the bathroom?" I thought it would make her feel better to talk about it. Everyone else will just assume we want to be alone to kiss. Whatever. I don't care.  
  
I slide the door open and let her out in front of me. We walk down the corridor down to the wash rooms and I open the door and allow her to go inside with me. "What's wrong?" I ask her with concern in my eyes. Her eyes are brimming with tears. She can be herself with me. She can cry with me. She knows I won't make her feel bad.  
  
"Oh Harry" she begins in a shaky voice, "I don't want to deal with Malfoy. I don't want to go through with this. I. . don't. . .want. . .this!" she managed to get out between sobs. Quickly I put a silencing charm on the small room. She sits on the toilet and puts her head in her hands. Tears continue to stream down her face and I intend to catch every one of them. I wipe her eyes with my rough hands.  
  
"Hermione, don't cry" I beg her. "You know you won't have to be with him all the time. And you know me and Ron will always be around for you. This is nothing to worry about" I try to explain to her. "You know we will never let him do anything to you at all" I tell her. I would say anything to make her beautiful face look happy again. "Someone so beautiful should never look so sad".  
  
"Oh Harry, I'm not beautiful. Bushy hair, buck teeth, short, that's all I am" she screams at me. She's really upset and I am certain it's not just the Malfoy thing. "Harry I don't know what to say" she gushes.  
  
I'm confused. I don't know what's going on anymore. She looks like a wreck all of the sudden. "Harry, I need to go" she says hurriedly. She opens the door and walks down the corridor and back into her compartment with Draco.  
  
"What the hell just happened" I ask myself out loud. "What was that?"  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I don't know what just came over me. I don't know what just happened. I just left Harry. Why did I do that? I have no idea. I have no answers anymore. Why am I acting crazy?  
  
I think it's too much. I think I love him so much, because he's a friend. I don't want it to be true. I want Harry to be the one. I am soon to be eighteen years old, and I feel like I need to make up my mind. I want Harry in my mind, but does my heart want him too?  
  
I will turn it over in my mind. I will let this go for a while. Because I know when I do see Harry I will fall for him all over again. I always do. So why this doubt today? Who knows? I'm a complex girl sometimes.  
  
So I return to my seat. I wipe my eyes and I put up my front, my façade. I will face Draco with strength and he will not bring me down today. I slide open the door and there he is. Staring out the window with an expressionless face. He hears the door. He knows I'm there. But for once he doesn't say anything. At least not right away.  
  
"I heard you" he says simply. Nothing less and nothing more. He doesn't even look me in the eye.  
  
"What" I ask him as though I have no idea what he could be talking about. 'How could he have heard. Harry did the silencing charm'.  
  
"I heard you" he said again just as he said it the first time. He head slowly turns to look at me.  
  
I can't take it. How can he just look at me like that. How can he just act like that. Obviously he knows I'm upset. He is such a bastard. I can't stand him. I sit down on the seat across from him, and look out the window at the world we are so quickly passing by.  
  
"You really love him, don't you? So much that you don't know how to handle it" he says. It's almost as though he isn't really talking directly to me. But since I am the only other occupant of the compartment I know it is me he is speaking to.  
  
"What's it to you?" I ask him with attitude. Why does he suddenly think he can just talk to me. Why does he think that after years of ridicule I am suddenly going to tell him my life story. No. I don't think so.  
  
"Fine. Just thought I would give you someone to talk to. Obviously you can't talk to your other little friends about this. But hey, I will just continue to be the asshole you think I am" he said just looking through me. Is he serious? I have no idea. Why would he even want to give me a chance? Why would he be nice to me? No. It's a trap. That's all there is to it. He wants me to open up so he can rub it in my face.  
  
"I'm sorry" I say somberly. Well there is no reason for me to lash out at him. "Look, let's just get through this and be civil. We are head boy and girl. We are what the kids have to look up to. We get along in public. We are not friends, just civil. Is that a deal?"  
  
"Deal" he replied simply. "Oh and call me Draco. I'm getting tired of being called Malfoy. I would of course pay you the same respect, Hermione". He returned to the window. The conversation was clearly over.  
  
We arrived at Hogwarts after the sun had gone down. The so called horseless carriages awaited us to take us up to the castle. I walked up to the first carriage that Draco and I were to share. He walked up behind me and offered me a hand to get in. "Civil in public" he reminded me. I took his hand and got up into the carriage.  
  
"Thank you, Draco" I replied to him as though shocked that he could actually be a gentleman. He came into the carriage behind me.  
  
"You know I was trained as a Malfoy to act a certain way. I was raised to be a gentleman. I just don't show it to many people around here. It's mainly for when my father. . ." he stopped. "would have company" he resumed. His eyes hit the floor. I looked into his face in confusion.  
  
"Are you okay" I ask him. I don't want to get too personal. After all, we aren't in public right now, and I don't want him to think we are friends.  
  
"Fine" he replied. "He's dead". And that was it. No more was said. I had no idea. The ride was a bumpy one, and a silent one at that. Not a word was breathed in the chilly weather. "Cold?" he asked me. I shivered a bit, but I was not about to let him think I was weak. He shook off his cloak and handed it to me.  
  
"Who are you?" I muttered under my breath. I really didn't think he would hear me.  
  
"I'm Draco Malfoy. I have no father. I am no one" he finished. The ride was over. He stepped out of the carriage and helped me out as well before heading up to the castle. He left me behind to ponder what had just occurred.  
  
I could see my breath in the cool air. Odd because it didn't seem that cold out. Suddenly a pair of hands find their way around my waist. "Whose cloak?" I could feel Harry's breath on my neck.  
  
"Oh it's Draco's" I answer him. "I was cold, and I made him give it to me". I didn't want him to know that Draco was being odd in any way. It would just give them more ammunition against him, and for some reason I didn't want that. I put my hand in his, and it feels warm, but rough. We walk up to the castle together and go straight for the feast. I'm famished, and I always do enjoy a good sorting.  
  
The first years look petrified. I smile when I think about it, but then I remember what it was like when I was sorted. Scared out of my mind. Those are the only words that describe it. I give the kids a smile, and try to let them know without words that it really isn't so bad. It's hard to believe I was so small, and that I looked like them so many years ago. But it's true. I was the same runty little bushy haired girl I am now. Except now I'm a little older. I've filled out a little bit more, but I suppose I am still the little girl I was when I came here the first time.  
  
I turn my attention away from them. I notice Draco at his table. He is surrounded of course due to the full capacity of the hall, but he is really alone if you think about it. No one talks to him. Without Voldemort there are no Death Eaters. Without his dad he has no connections. He is unwanted. He is discarded. Unneeded. I start to feel bad for him. But I stop myself. After years of torment and torture I will not give in. I will not let this get to me. I will let him suffer. I want him to know how it feels.  
  
The sorting proceeds. Many kids go into Gryffindor, and a few go into the other houses as well. I hear the buzz of talking all around me. I want desperately to feel like this is a normal year back at Hogwarts. But it isn't. It won't be the same again. This year is my last. Not only is it my last but I am Head Girl too. So much responsibility there, that I am concerned that my life will not be the same. No more sneaking out, I am now the warden against that. So I will play it day by day. Soon I will get into the groove, I am convinced. So I go to eating my chicken and pie, and anything else you can imagine.  
  
Soon the feast is over. A couple of hours of laughing with my friends and I am feeling like myself again. I am truly happy at this moment. I take Harry's hand and he walks me up to my room. I now have a new room all to myself and across the hall is Draco's room. A single stairway is in the middle leading down into my new common room which houses two large fireplaces and is decorated in no specific colors. In two words, it's beautiful. I kiss Harry goodnight and I watch him descend the stairs. He turns around and blows me a kiss before leaving through my portrait hole.  
  
I decide to get out my books and sit by the fire for a while. I get some hot cocoa and settle down when suddenly Draco enters the common room.  
  
"Hot cocoa? Where did you get that?" he asks me simply. I point. We have a small little area to prepare drinks and small snacks. By no means a kitchen, but for hot cocoa it's perfect. "Oh" he replies simply. He proceeds to his bedroom and shuts the door behind him. He doesn't come out for the rest of the night.  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
Sadness? No I am not that weak. Confusion? No, I am always confident and sure of myself. Must be anger. Anger towards my father. Anger for living. Anger for dying. Where do I fit in now? He screwed up my life so much that I don't know which way is up anymore.  
  
I boarded that train with my head held high. No one would know I am troubled inside. No one would know what I am going through. I would be strong. I sat down in front of Granger. No, Hermione. She's by no means a looker, but she's alright. I know she is a good person at heart. I know she is someone I will never be.  
  
I can tell she is upset. It's me. She hates me. She has good reason. I don't blame her in the least. She runs away. I don't know why, and I pretend not to care. I tell myself it's a mudblood, and I am purer than that. I can hear her shouting after a while. She is only a few feet away in the lavatory. I hear Potter's feeble attempts at a silencing charm. She's crying. . . .about me. She doesn't want to be stuck with me. Just look at the affects one person can have on another. But something is different here. She distances herself from him. I can tell. I can tell she doesn't know what to do with him. She loves him, she knows she loves him. But he is her best friend. Why am I even bothering to pay attention to this worthless crap. I go back to my gazing out the window.  
  
We travel through beautiful country on our way to the school. No one ever notices. No one can stop chatting to see the beauty. But I do. Soon she comes back. I can tell it is only to escape Potter's company. I try to talk to her but she doesn't want me. Who can blame her? I give up on my feeble attempts. She will talk to me if she really wants to.  
  
We make an agreement to be civil to each other. Why not? I have no reason to bully her anymore. Father is dead. He is dead. He is dead. I have to believe that. It's too good to be true. Awful thoughts run through my head like this. It shouldn't be good when someone dies but in this case it is.  
  
Everyone ignores me at the feast. My name is of no value to them anymore. No one needs me. I was nothing more than a connection before. Now I am nothing. I was just a name, and now I no longer have that. I sit alone. Sure people sit around me, but in reality I am alone. Maybe I am destined to be alone. The thought makes me sick. I hate to think I will forever be on my own. But I have burned my bridges. I don't hold high expectations for my life anymore.  
  
I go straight to my room. I don't notice much about the common room, except for the girl sitting in it. Hermione is cracking her books open. Big surprise. She's a hard worker. It's no wonder she beats my ass with grades. Her cat is curled up beside her. It's almost cute. No Malfoy, don't say cute.  
  
It will definitely be an interesting year. It will be challenging. It will be like none of my other six years in this hell. Maybe it won't even be hell this year. We will see. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Ron and I sit by the fire in the common room. It's warm and cozy, but it's just not the same without Hermione. The chairs are velvety and soft, but uncomfortable without the warmth of her body near me. The fire crackles and I stare into it thinking about what it would be like if she were in here. Ron seems to be so interested in his quidditch magazine that he doesn't know I'm troubled anyway.  
  
Hermione has caused me some concern today for obvious reason. She just ran away from me on the train. She just took off. Why? Why did she leave me? She acts crazy like this sometimes, and usually I just blow it off. I'm starting to really get worried now. I really love her. I honestly do. And I have never been able to say that about anyone in my life. Hogwarts gave me people to love. I need to talk to her soon. Maybe tomorrow. I need to know what's going on with her.  
  
Soon my eyes start to burn from staring into the flame and I feel someone sit down beside me. My heart leaps. I thought it might be Hermione. It wasn't. Lavender's form had taken the place of the Hermione I was imagining having my arm around. We had become good friends last year due to a few deep conversations about Hermione and our growing relationship, and I am starting to realize that she is a great person.  
  
"Harry, are you ok?" she asks me politely. She is concerned. She must have noticed that spaced out glazed look on my face. More than Ron noticed anyway. It's nice to have someone realize that you need to talk.  
  
"Yeah Lav, I'm ok" I lie. She knows. She can tell I'm lying. I told you we have become closer.  
  
"Harry, don't lie to me. You can't take your eyes off that fire. You are anti-social tonight. Please tell me what's bothering you". She's just always so nice to me. I give in. This seems to be what I need. I need someone to vent to. I need someone who can give me their opinion on this situation. I need Lavender's girl perspective.  
  
"Well, I just don't know if I should talk about this" I start off, not wanting to divulge too much information. I don't want to gush out my emotions like a girl. I want too look a little manly. Foolish pride. She rolls her eyes at me and gives me that look that says 'just tell me'. So I begin.  
  
"It started on the train. Hermione. . . well she's being odd" I begin. Wow, I really don't know how to say these things. I stumble over my words and try again to recount the days events. "She ran away from me. She was crying about Draco, but she ran away from me".  
  
She doesn't change the expression on her face. It was almost as though she had expected this. She nods her head as I ramble on about my feelings towards my best friends, and she just listens. She listens to me. She listens when I talk. And that is what I like most of all.  
  
Soon I am all out of things to say to her. I have told her what's went on and I have no more words left. She opens her mouth and beings to comfort me.  
  
"Harry, take some advice from a female. Hermione was your best friend. She was part of your dream team. Suddenly, she is more than a friend. Where does that leave you? Because I will tell you what she is feeling right now. Suddenly she doesn't know how to treat you. Where most people have a friend to confide in and a boyfriend, you are both. So when she needs to talk about you to her best friend. . . she can only talk to you. Do you see what I'm saying?" She explains this all very fast and I'm confused. But I kinda get it. I have taken away her best friend by being her boyfriend.  
  
I don't believe her. I don't believe that this is a big problem. I will figure this all out. I just have to figure out where to begin.  
  
I stand up leaving Lavender on the couch. I stretch my arms above my head and begin to climb the stairs. Ron's nose is still buried in his magazine and doesn't notice that I have gotten up to leave. No big deal. I don't really feel like talking to him tonight anyway. I enter the empty room. It's still early and no one is ready for bed yet. But depression has set in. I have a lot to think about. I take my pajamas out of my trunk and put them on laying my robes on the chair beside my four poster. I gaze out the window that is layered with a light dew at the sleepy grounds. I see the quidditch pitch and Hagrid's hut. I feel at home at last.  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
Even my books are no comfort. The fireplace is warm and inviting, but I don't feel like I belong. My place is in Harry's arms. Sitting beside him by the fire like we used to do. I can't take this anymore. I need to be with him. I have to keep convincing myself I need to be with him.  
  
Suddenly my books are on the floor. My quill is tucked away and I'm on my feet. They are carrying me to the Gryffindor common room. Being Head Girl has benefits. I get all the passwords. The corridors are freezing and uninviting, but I stay on course. I am sure that I will feel much better when I reach my destination.  
  
I reach the Fat Lady. A site very familiar to me. I remember this so well. She's snoring but I say the password anyhow and the portrait hole swings open. I step inside and I already feel more at home. I blink and open my eyes scanning the room for my friends, and more importantly, my boyfriend. I see him. He is sitting on the couch. That one place we would lounge at night after night just cuddling up and being warm. His arm is up around the back of the couch, and as my eyes follow it I see something I would like to ignore.  
  
Above the back of the couch I see sleek brown hair flowing down the shoulders of a girl my age. Lavender. I already know it's her. She seems to have attached herself to him ever since we started seriously dating. And it looks like he doesn't really seem to mind it.  
  
I stand there. I am frozen. Friends around me smile and say hi, but Harry never realized I was there. Tears welled up in my eyes. I don't know why. Maybe I was upset he was close to her. It's not like he was kissing her, it just felt like she was taking my place. I turn around and walk out the portrait hole before letting the tears flow freely. The corridors are empty. Everyone is in their common rooms making friends with first years and catching up with old friends. I know I will not be seen tonight.  
  
I continue my walk. I'm taking the long way. I am in no rush to get back to my common room with Draco. The portraits on the walls see me crying. Some ask if I'm okay. Some of them laugh at me. Some even follow me around in my walking. I don't care. They are portraits.  
  
I turn a corner. My head is down and my sobs are silent. "Okay?" a cold voice asks me. What kind of question is that? I look up. Big mistake. Platinum blonde hair is staring me in the face. I notice him this time. Pale and very blonde. His silver eyes seem to look right through me. He is handsome. . . .what am I thinking?!?!  
  
"What's it to you?" I ask again in the same manner as I did on the train. Immediately I feel remorse for speaking to him like that. After all, he has been very civil to me. "Sorry" I mumble under my breath and continue walking.  
  
He turns direction so he can walk along with me. "Well I was just going to get some food. This is public domain. I thought I would be civil and ask if you wanted to walk along". It's odd to hear him say things like this to me. Sure, he says he's in public domain, but the halls are deserted. He has no reason to act like this.  
  
"I'm sorry Draco but I'm not feeling so well tonight. I think I am going to head up the common room" I tell him reluctantly. I don't want him to think we can be friends.  
  
He looks disappointed. He is acting so strangely lately. "Oh okay. Actually I will just walk there with you. I seem to have lost my appetite". He keeps a safe distance from me. He does not talk to me. He looks over at me with concern every few seconds, but I'm not talking. I will not talk.  
  
We reach the portrait hole and he speaks the password to the sleeping man in the frame. He flinches a bit but opens anyway. Draco lets me in first and we head up to our separate rooms. "Goodnight" he whispers before entering his room. I believe he thought I couldn't hear him. But it was audible. I paused and turned around, but he was gone. Confused, I turn and enter my room.  
  
****Draco's POV****  
  
Green and silver. That's the story of my life. They had to decorate my room in silver and green. I wonder if Hermione's is crimson and gold. Not like I will ever be inside it to find out. I decide not to leave my room tonight. There is no where I feel like going. No one wants to see me, and I have no desire to see anyone.  
  
I lie on my bed and stare up at the ceiling. I could lay here for hours. After all, that's what I used to do when my father was on a war path through our house. There he is again. My father is always popping into my head. I can't his face out of my mind. I can't forget the way he looked the last time I saw him in Azkaban. Crazy. I have never seen anyone so insane. The solitude had really gotten to him.  
  
I shake the image from my mind. I will not think about him tonight. I will not. A walk. A walk is what I need. I need to clear my mind. I open my door and walk down the stairs. No Hermione in sight. She must have gone to bed. It's still early, but that is the only explanation I can think of. I walk through the halls for a while. I don't see anyone. They are all in the common rooms. It's all the same to me. I don't want any confrontation tonight anyway.  
  
I walk around for about ten minutes before I hear someone coming my way. Funny breathing. Sniffling. Who is it? They turn the corner. Bushy hair, petite girl. Hermione. And she's crying. Who know why. Probably because of her situation with Potter. I proceed up to her. Something in me says treat her with care. I don't want to harden her heart anymore than I already have.  
  
"Aryaokay?" I mumble to her. She probably didn't understand what I said. She probably didn't expect me to even acknowledge her. She snaps back at me just like she had on the train. Well that's to be expected. But I let it go.  
  
"Well I was heading to get some food, would you like to join me?" I quickly make up a lie. I thought she would enjoy some company in her state. Why am I being so nice. This is not the Malfoy way. She apologizes and explains she wants to go to bed. I understand. I am not stupid. Quite the opposite. She wants to be alone. She doesn't want to be with me.  
  
So I offer to walk her back to the common room. I keep my distance. We are still not friends. We already make that deal, and I will make sure we stick to it. She's still a bossy-know-it-all. I am not acquainting myself with that. I have to remind myself that I no longer have friends and I don't need them. I don't have a father. Most importantly, I don't have a reason to be mean to so called mudbloods.  
  
I open the portrait for her and let her in first. I follow her up to our rooms and we go our separate ways. When I am sure she is out of ear shot I say "goodnight". Where did that come from? I don't know. I quickly slip into my room. This way if she did hear me maybe she will think she is mistaken. Without removing my robes I jump into bed and under the covers. I close my eyes to this cruel unforgiving world. Isn't it sad? I'm eighteen years old, and already I believe that this world I live in is nothing but harsh and intolerable. I am alone. I will forever be sad and alone.  
  
One tear falls down my cheek. Strike that from the records. I don't want anyone to know I can cry. Maybe I'm sad about my pathetic life. I don't really know. All I do know is that I am miserable. I am destined to live in misery for the rest of my life.  
  
****Hermione's POV****  
  
I lay on my bed. My silk pajamas are so smooth on my skin, yet so cold. I need Harry. Wait. . . no I don't. Not if he is going to find comfort in Lavender. I know she is trying to make him feel better, but I also know that she has had a crush on him for some time.  
  
I need to talk. I need to know what's going on. I just need to spill everything. Just to vent. But who wants to hear me talk? It dawns on me. There was one person tonight that was concerned. No, we aren't friends, but maybe he would do this for me. He knew I was upset and still asked if I wanted to be with him. Why did I reject him?  
  
I slide off my bed and put my feet in my slippers. My bathrobe goes around my shoulders and I tie the strap at the waist. I open the door slowly. It's about midnight by this time. I slip across the hall to Draco's door and lightly knock. I hear something that sounds like a muffled "yeah?" and I turn the knob.  
  
"Draco? Can we talk?" I ask in a weak voice. He sits up quickly with an odd look of concern.  
  
"Sure" he answers as he walks towards me. "Sit down" he says as he motions to the chair. 'Must be distant' I remind myself.  
  
He sits on the bed. "Go ahead and talk. That's all you need to do. I know that's what you need. Don't worry, I won't tell any of your little secrets to anyone" he drawls on. And for some reason I know he is telling the truth. Maybe it's because he doesn't have any friends. I believe him, and I gush out all my feelings and emotions to him.  
  
I finish my story about Harry. I finish telling him my feelings, my reservations. I tell him about Lavender. He does nothing but listen intently and nod his head. Clearly, he is hanging on my every word. I couldn't appreciate it more. A good listener is hard to find. I realize that tears are streaming down my face and I'm a little bit shaky.  
  
He keeps his promise and he keeps his distance. It almost hurts. I have to remind myself it's Draco Malfoy. I just want a hug. I want someone to hold me and tell me I will be okay. I look down at my hands folded in my lap. The chair I'm sitting in is cold and uncomfortable. . .and very green. There are wet spots all around me from tears. He knows I'm crying, I just wish he could reach out to me.  
  
I sit there. It's silent. Suddenly he breaks the silence. "Is that all you have to say?" he asks quietly.  
  
"No" I blurt out. "Why are you being so nice to me? Why did you offer food for me? Why are you listening so closely? Do you actually care? What's going on?" I ask very quickly. I regret it almost immediately. He seems overcome with questions.  
  
"I don't know. I just don't know" he whispers as he looks at the floor. "I have just come to realize what it's like to feel alone" he mutters. He seems embarrassed to be saying this to me.  
  
"Draco?" I ask quietly. "Maybe we can be friends". It's all I need to say. Nothing less nothing more. He looks up at me with a hopeful glint in his eye. He slowly nods yes. I walk towards him and put my arms around him. "I think you need a hug as badly as I do" I whisper in his ear. To my surprise he quietly says yes as tears begin to flow down his cheeks at the same rapid rate as mine. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
My head is buried in Granger's shoulder. I am crying like a child. I am like a fucking baby right now. This is unacceptable. Quickly, I try to regain my composure. This is Granger. And I do not cry. I push her away. Not so much to hurt her, but to let her know this will not be happening.  
  
"Well if you are done whining I need to get some sleep" I snap at her fiercely. She looks obviously hurt. So what? I really don't care. She can go cry to her loser of a boyfriend, and his trusty sidekick Weasel. She backs away from me.  
  
"Fine. You know, Draco, you really are the bastard I thought you were. What is wrong with you?" she screams at me. She glares at me with child like eyes. She is still an innocent kid at heart. She has never been hurt. If she continues to deal with me she will only set herself up to be hurt day after day. She storms out the door and slams it behind her. I know she is retreating to her room to cry some more. Why the hell should I care?  
  
I don't need anyone, and I especially don't need her. I don't need a bossy whiny girl that needs to cry on my shoulder every day. This just isn't going to happen. I sit down at my desk. I pull some parchment out and being to write furiously.  
  
Hermione  
  
Just a reminder. We aren't friends. Don't think that you can just come in and out of my bedroom as much as you like. I know you want me, but please restrain yourself. You have Potter, although I am at a loss to figure out how that dolt could please any girl. I have three words for you. Civil in public.  
  
Draco  
  
Distance. That's what we need. I do not want friends, and I do not need friends. Especially friends like her. I am fine on my own. I slip the note under her door and return to my bed. I lay on the comfortable sheets. Only the best linens here in my own personal hell. It's like a constant reminder of the life I lived in the mansion. Maybe for once I should live without the best of everything. Maybe I should live like normal people. . .or maybe not.  
  
I close my eyes hoping to drift off into a dreamless sleep. All I can think about is how I hate myself. It's obvious I can't handle my own life, but I will figure it out soon enough. A tear drips down my face. I curse it, it hits the pillow, and it has disappeared. Had I not felt it, its existence would not even be known. . .like it had never been there. So that's what I have to do. It will be my motto. 'Ignore it and it will go away'. Ignore the pain and it will go away. And that's my last thought before I drift off.  
  
****Harry****  
  
I lie in my bed. The bed that has been here for me for more than six years now. And it's just as comfortable now as it has always been. But my mind is racing. A couple of days ago my life was normal. I was walking with my girlfriend through Diagon Alley eating ice cream. Things are starting to get rocky between us. But I have made up my mind. We will talk this over and we will be fine tomorrow.  
  
So I drift off to sleep at last. I dream of me and Hermione. I dream of kissing her. But when I pull away it's not her. I can't make out the face, but it's another girl. I jerk awake. The clock reads 3 a.m. I turn over and pull up the covers before returning to my restless sleep.  
  
I wake up early the next morning. My stomach is rumbling, letting me know that I need some nourishment. But not yet. My first priority is Hermione. I am going to go surprise her. I get dressed throwing on my trousers, and button up shirt that does under my robes, and set out for her room. I already heard her mumble the password, so I let myself in.  
  
I walk up the stairs and listen at her door. It's still very early, and she is still sleeping. I open the door myself and find a note laying on the floor. I pick it up and sit it on her desk before I quietly slip over to the bed. I kick off the shoes I had put on to walk down the cold corridors and climb under the blankets.  
  
She stirs. She knows I'm there and opens her beautiful brown eyes at the sight of me. She smiles at me. God, she's beautiful. Even in the early hours, she is a precious sight. I wrap my arms around her. No words are spoken. We just remain under the blankets together and drift off into a light sleep. I know that nothing has been worked out yet, but just being with her like this is helpful.  
  
The sun shines through the white sheer drapes. I notice her room now. It's very girly to say the least. Her four poster is giant, and a very thin fabric was draped around it. The walls were a light pink color, and there were flowers in various places. It definitely suited her tastes.  
  
She opens her eyes and looks over at me. "What are you doing here?" is the first thing she says to me.  
  
"Well it's nice to see you to" I joke with her. "I just thought I would come see my girl. I thought we could talk" I tell her simply. She knows we need to talk. This needs to be done now.  
  
"Okay, what do you want to talk about?"  
  
"Us" I reply simply. "Hermione, why did you run away from me on the train?" That's the one thing that has really been bothering me.  
  
"I. . .uh. . .I don't know. I guess I was just worked up about being with Malfoy so much, you know. It just stresses me out. I'm sorry" she whispers in my ear. She snuggles up closer to me. There is no air between us.  
  
"You know Hermione, I really love you. I really love you with all my heart" I whisper back. "I will always be here for you" I finish. She nods to let me know that she knows I am here.  
  
"I love you more" she whispers back while her lips are mere millimeters from mine. I lift my head enough that our lips touch. Our kisses are usually very brief, but this time it is prolonged. It's passionate and heartfelt. Her lips part and our tongues are joined. I raise my hand up to her face and gently stroke her cheek.  
  
We remain like this until it is time to go down for breakfast. Both of us are now fully aware of what the other means. This is the farthest we have gone with each other, and I think soon there will be more. I want to make love to her, but I know she is not ready. I am just waiting for the right time.  
  
************  
  
Harry and Hermione walk down the stairs and continue on to the Great Hall for breakfast. Both are feeling like everything has been resolved, although in reality, they hardly talked. It's the feeling. And right now they are more in love than the day before.  
  
Draco gets himself dressed. He knows Harry has been there, and he is almost thankful for it. Maybe this way Hermione will stop crying all the time. He had to continuously convince himself he didn't care, but for some reason his thoughts always returned to that petite girl that lived next door.  
  
"Knock it off Draco" he had to say aloud. Almost as though he had to convince himself. Truth be told, he needed a friend, and he would be the last one to admit that. He planned to make it through this year and get out of this place. He would not need to work because he had family money, so his life was set for him. Well that was the idea he continuously forced into his head.  
  
He walked out the door and down to the Great Hall. Portraits muttered to them along the way. Each of them knew what had happened the previous night. It made him feel ridiculous. He had been played a fool. He had followed Hermione around, and actually invited her to eat with him. This would not happen again. He refused to look like anything less than the Malfoy he used to be.  
  
He sat alone again that day. Of course things were about to change. Dumbledore had some news for both him and Hermione.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy" he said grandly as he approached Draco at the Slytherin table. "Please follow me". Draco got up and followed him without one look back. Soon they stopped by the Gryffindor table and said the same thing to Hermione. He led them both to the front of the Great Hall to a table just below the head table.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen of Hogwarts, please listen up. It is the beginning of another new year, and that means new Head Boy and Girl. I would like to announce Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger". This last statement was followed by a polite applause. People seemed more worried that their meal had been interrupted. "Well, by all means, please sit down and enjoy your meal. From now on you can eat here and watch over your students". He left it at that and walked away. The two sat down in their respective seats.  
  
****Hermione****  
  
"Civil in public only" he snarls at me. What has happened to him? Just last night he was in my arms crying. What happened to that guy that needed me.  
  
It dawns on me. That's it. He got too close. He let his guard down. And we are not friends. Well, if that's how he wants to play it fine. We are not friends. So we eat in silence, and I miss sitting with Harry. I miss laughing with my house mates. I hate being with this person. He looks over at me every so often, but he thinks I don't notice. I know he is mocking me on the inside. At least he is grown up enough to shut up in public.  
  
I eat as fast as I can. I want to get away. I stand up from my seat eager to go sit with Harry again. As soon as I am up another professor is in my face. Snape. "Miss Granger, please have a seat" he drawls on. "I just had to let you two know about your duties. You two have a job to do together, and it begins today. Patrolling the halls at night is important. Any students are to be brought to their head of house. Obviously you do not have to patrol all night, you do have classes all day after all. So you will make rounds until 1 am. I'm sure that you will grow accustomed to this soon enough. Have fun". That last sentence was so sardonic. Dripping with sarcasm. Great. Now I have to find time for school work, Harry, my friends, and now Draco. This is just fantastic.  
  
The meal is soon over and I rush to my old table with my old friends. We hang out for the rest of day as classes did not start yet. This year they decided to give us a day to settle in before really beginning and I appreciate that.  
  
At 9 pm I am back in my common room waiting for Draco. Who knows where he is and quite frankly I don't really care. I sit by the crackling fire and snack on some left over cookies to wait.  
  
I hear his voice and my eyes pop open. I must have dozed off. "Coming or not?" he asked simply. He is no longer calling me Granger, but now no name is used. It's almost painful. Just harsh really.  
  
"Yeah" I mutter to him. We walk out of the portrait hole and begin our rounds. No one is really out in the halls right now, so it's completely silent. After about ten minutes of this I can't take it anymore.  
  
"Look we have four hours of this. Do you think that maybe we could talk a little bit? I want the time to get a little fast you know" I reason with him.  
  
"Sure" he says sarcastically. "Let's talk about how damn interesting your life is. Please, tell me all about the way you shagged Potter this morning" he rambles on.  
  
"And what do you mean by that? I did not shag him. We do not do that!" I try to convince him.  
  
"Well then I feel really bad for the poor guy. I mean, being with you is bad enough, at least he could get a little action to make up for it".  
  
"Screw you Malfoy!" I shout back. I don't need this crap. We start to turn a corner, when suddenly he grabs my arm and turns me around. "Draco, stop! We have to go down this way!" I tell him and I turn back around. I look up only to see why he tried to turn me around. There was Harry. . .and Lavender. He was hugging her. She kissed him. She kissed his lips. My lips. Those lips are for me.  
  
I clear my throat and they look up. I turn and run. I don't want to talk about this. Harry, of course, chases after me. I would be even more pissed if he didn't. Draco separated us. I ran through my portrait and up to my room locking the door behind me. I heard shouting, but I didn't care. Probably Harry trying to get the portrait to open up. Fuck him. I don't need this. I don't need this pain.  
  
****Draco****  
  
I can't believe what I just saw. Saint Potter with another girl. Now, I'm surprised that one girl would actually date him, let alone two. This is the shocker of the century.  
  
I shield Hermione. Why? Why do I care? I try to turn her around. I try to save her. Maybe I just don't want to hear her crying at night, maybe I'm becoming sensitive. Let's hope that's not the case. But she saw anyway. And she ran. She seems to be good at that. She ran right up to her room.  
  
I make it to the portrait hole, and I stop Potter from getting in. "Just go back to your room" I yell at him.  
  
"Why the hell should I Malfoy?" he yells right back.  
  
"Because I'm Head Boy, and you were breaking the fucking rules! You were breaking a lot of rules" I continue. Don't say too much Malfoy. Don't make him think you care. "Go" I say forcefully. "She doesn't need you anymore". That last one seemed to hurt him. A tear dripped down his cheek. Wimp. But he leaves. And I walk up the stairs to my room.  
  
At the last minute I turn. I knock on the door that isn't mine, and I hear sniffling inside. What am I doing? I open the door.  
  
"Hermione?" I say as though I am asking for permission to come in. After all it is her room. She's crying on her bed. Her head is buried in her pillows, and she is sobbing.  
  
"I knew it. I knew Lavender was too close to him. And I knew she liked him. Why didn't I stop this?" she wails. I almost feel bad for her. This is what love does to people. This is why I will be alone. I will not put up with shit like this. I walk over to her, and I am unsure of what to say. I feel my heart breaking for her. What is wrong with me? I have never felt like this in my life.  
  
"Hermione, it's not your fault you know" I try to reason with her. "It looks like Lavender was doing it. I don't even think Harry kissed back". I just want to make her stop crying.  
  
"Well he sure didn't push her away the way you push me away!". Yeah that's true. I walk over to her and sit down beside her, and I am unsure of what to say. So I hold out my arms and she falls into them. Tears crash onto my shoulder, but it's okay. I rub her back and calm her down. Her sobs slowly stop and she pulls back.  
  
"Umm, thanks I guess" she mumbles. She doesn't know how to treat me. "Can you just stay here with me?" she asks as though she is embarrassed. I nod a yes, and she smiles. "I appreciate it". It's more like a business deal. She remains in my arms, and soon she is drifting off to sleep. I lay her head down on her pillows and cover her up before returning to patrol on my own. On my way out I see the note I wrote to her on the desk. I take it and rip it up. My new goal, try not to make her cry. I don't know why I care, but I do.  
  
"Goodnight Hermione" I whisper as I leave the room. She looks so tired and stressed. Why not give her a break. She can make it up to me later. That's the Malfoy way of thinking.  
  
A/N: Ok, I know Draco is a little out of character, but he is changing due to lack of father, and stuff. Sorry, but that's the way it has to be. And don't worry, it will have a happy ending, I promise! 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
****Harry****  
  
I don't know what the hell just happened. I tell Lavender I will go on a walk with her and she leads me down this dark corridor. Before I know it she has her arms around me. Now, I know she has liked me, but I had no idea this would ever happen.  
  
"Lavender, for real, you need to step back. Hermione wouldn't like this" I reason with her.  
  
"It's not Hermione you really want. Don't you get it Harry. I am trying to make you understand. There is more than one girl out there for you. Here I am right in front of your face and you can't even see me!" She seems really angry at this point.  
  
I get it now. I have been attracted to her, but I pushed her away. I was with Hermione. I love Hermione, and I am not going to cheat on her. She deserves much better than that. But now I understand. If I'm so attracted to someone else, then maybe I really don't love Hermione in the way I think I do.  
  
As I ponder this thought Lavender gets closer, and for some reason I'm not pushing her away. She brushes her lips against mine. They are so soft and warm. So are Hermione's but this is different. There is a different feeling here.  
  
I hear someone clear their throat. Shit! Who is it? Who saw us? I look over and see the last person I really want to, Hermione. SHIT! I run after her. She doesn't want to talk to me and only increases speed. Draco separates us.  
  
We reach her portrait hole. She is up to her room already. Only a greasy blonde idiot separates us. "Move Malfoy!" I scream at him. But he succeeds in stopping me. He is Head Boy, and the last thing I want is to get myself in trouble at the mercy of Malfoy.  
  
A tear runs down my cheek and I turn away quickly. I do not want him to think that I cry. I am much tougher than that. I stalk away with my head hung low. I am shamed. I can't believe what I have done tonight. There is no way Hermione deserves this.  
  
I reach my common room. Lavender is already in her room, and I'm heading to my own. I cry myself to sleep that night with silent sobs. Even my soft bed is of no comfort to me. I am sick to my stomach, and I know that I won't feel any better in the coming morning.  
  
****Hermione****  
  
The sun shines through my window and wakes me up once again. I really need to get thicker curtains. My eyes are puffy and red, and my head is pounding. I replay last night's events over and over in my mind. It seems surreal. I can't believe that this happened to me. I can't believe Harry did this to me.  
  
Then it dawns on me. Draco. Draco brought me back to the room. Draco took care of me. Something is going on here, and I intend to find out what it is. Until then, I am going to make Harry and Lavender pay dearly.  
  
I open up the drapes and let the sun shine in. I blink my eyes and shake myself awake. I see a cloak laying on a chair beside my bed. It's Draco's. I never returned it to him after that night we came to the castle. I pick it up and hold it in my arms. I open my door and walk across the hall. My feet are carrying me, but suddenly I can't believe what I'm doing. I knock on the door and it's answered by a sleepy looking Draco. His hair is disheveled, and he looks very groggy.  
  
"I just wanted to return this" I start out. Suddenly I feel foolish for coming over here. "Ummm I'm just going to go back to my room now" I say sheepishly as I feel a blush come over my cheeks.  
  
"Come on in" he says in a quiet voice. He opens the door for me and I step inside the very Slytherin room. He sits on the bed, and almost looks embarrassed.  
  
"Look, I'm really sorry about last night. I promise you don't have to take care of me again" I say quickly. "I just wanted to bring back your cloak". I stand up to leave, but he stops me.  
  
"Why don't you sit down for a minute. I mean. . .you were really upset last night. It's okay if you want to stay" he says quietly. I think he wants me stay but he will never admit it. My feet don't move. They seem to know where I really want to be, and for some strange reason I want to be here. Draco disappears into the bathroom that is adjoined to his room, but leaves the door open. I know he is changing into his robes for the first day of classes and he emerges with a Head Boy badge pinned on to his chest.  
  
"So are you ready for classes?" I ask him trying to make conversation. He nods yes.  
  
"But I'm sure that you are more ready than I am. I saw you studying before" he says with a smile. I smile back, but it's weak. I'm still shaken, and sad. "Smile again" he says to me. I shake my head. I don't feel like smiling today.  
  
"Come on. You are really not so ugly when you smile" he says to me, but I know he is joking. I know he is genuine today.  
  
"Draco, be real with me. One day you are nice, one day you are a jerk. What will it be today?" I ask him bluntly.  
  
He looks down to his feet. He is standing only a few feet from me, but he acts like he's a million miles away. "I don't know. I honestly don't know". He walks away. "So your first class is Potions with Slytherins huh? This should be fun".  
  
Now it's my turn to look to my feet. Harry will be there. Lavender will be there. I don't want to go. I feel a weight on my shoulders. And not like a metaphor, this is real. Draco has actually put his arm on my shoulder. He is actually comforting me.  
  
"Hermione, don't worry about him. Forget him for a day. I will sit with you at breakfast and I will sit with you in class. There is no reason that we should both have to be alone. We can just blame it on the fact that we are Heads". I smile. I appreciate his efforts, and I say okay.  
  
"I will go get dressed and meet you in our common room then". I stand up and walk out with a smile. I have finally done it. I have broken down a little piece of his walls that were protecting his soul.  
  
****Draco****  
  
How did I let this happen? How did I let her in? I have suddenly become friends with a Gryffindor. Instead of feeling dread, I almost feel happy. It almost makes me feel good when she knocks on my door. What's wrong with me?  
  
Nothing. I am normal. This is what I'm starting to realize. Sometimes you need friends I guess, and oddly enough I have started a relationship with her.  
  
Okay, well maybe it's not really a relationship. It's more like an understanding. She comes into my room this morning, and I am almost glad to sense her presence. I am really getting too sensitive here. Not cool.  
  
She returns my cloak, but I'm not stupid. She was looking for a reason to come in. Obviously she needs to be with someone. She's a weak girl. I take it upon myself to take care of her today. Merlin, I am really starting to change here.  
  
She sits on my bed while I get dressed. I don't want to embarrass her so I go into the bathroom to do so. I tell her she can stay for a while, and oddly enough she appreciates that. Why she wants to be with me I don't understand.  
  
She wants me to be real with her. "Why are you mean to me one minute and nice to me the next?" she asks me. I don't have the answers for that. I don't know what to tell her. I'm not going to tell her I'm weak. I'm not going to tell her how upset I am about my family situation. I will not tell her that watching my father kill my mother and slowly go insane has changed me. She doesn't need to know the intricate details. No one needs to know the details.  
  
She asks if I'm ready for classes, but obviously she is more ready than me. I have a feeling that she will let this Potter thing go once she is in the classroom. There is only one problem with my theory. Our first class is Potions.  
  
I meet her down in the common room after telling her to go get ready for classes. She looks a little sad, and I know it's because she is going to have to face Potter and Brown all day long. Her head is hung low and she is sitting on the couch.  
  
I sit down beside her and put my arm around her. "Let's make a deal". She looks up at me with a perplexed look. Maybe she doesn't expect me to be so nice to her. "Friends." I say simply. "I mean, there is no reason we can't really be friends" I go on while I look through her. I am almost embarrassed to be put in such a vulnerable position.  
  
She nods her head and smiles. She doesn't say a word. She doesn't want to make me feel bad, and I can tell. I appreciate it. I appreciate the way that she doesn't really judge me anymore. The way she is accepting of my proposal.  
  
I stand up and hold out my hand. She takes it and stands with me. Before I know it her arms are around my neck, and she is squeezing me tight. So this is what it feels like to be loved. This is what a real hug feels like. I never knew it could be this good.  
  
I walk her to the Great Hall. It's nice to have a friend at last. I know when we get there we have to face a new situation, but until then I am going to enjoy this. Because for once in my life I have a friend. And for once in my life I can see that I can be happy. And I can't wait to be happy.  
  
A/N: I know this chapter is a little short. Sorry about that. I have a chem exam to study for. But once I am back from that I will probably start on my next chapter. I am trying to update as much as I can since I have the time. Read and review! 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
All eyes are on us as we walk into the Great Hall. Harry and I seem to have caused quite a stir. It was only a few short hours ago, but word travels like wildfire through this school. Evil glares follow us and I just want it to stop. I never intended for this to happen. I never intended to hurt Hermione or Harry. I seem to have succeeded in both.  
  
We just went for a walk. He was very upset about the whole situation and I thought it would help. What was I thinking? I have had a huge crush on him for so long that it blinded me. I saw the opportunity. It was staring me in the face. You don't get a chance like that every day. You don't get the chance to kiss your crush every day.  
  
I took the chance. I touched my lips to his. He didn't stop me. He didn't push me away. In fact, he didn't touch me at all. His mind was at war with itself. He wanted to kiss me, but he didn't want to kiss me at the same time. I guess in all my hormonal rush, I also taught him a lesson. He can have feelings for another girl. And yes, that girl can be me.  
  
He ran after her though. She saw us and ran and he chased her. I can understand that. Who would want to be caught in this situation? But it was to no avail. He didn't get to talk to her last night. She shut him out. I gave him space. I saw him run and I ran too. I ran the other way. I was angry at myself. But worst of all, I was hurt. I know I had no reason to be hurt. He is not my boyfriend, but it was like a knife in my heart. I knew that despite the fact I kissed him, he still wasn't mine.  
  
I gave him his space. I went to my room and I went to sleep. I am ashamed of what I have done. We are like exiles now.  
  
No one wants to talk to us now. We are the cheaters. We are not to be trusted. Even Ron is pissed. I am sure we will figure this out. I am sure this will be fine. I just have to keep saying that to myself.  
  
****Hermione****  
  
We walk down the hall still keeping our distance. No one will see the trouble inside. No one will see the trouble inside either one of us. I know Draco is upset too. He isn't talking about it, but I know he will if he needs to.  
  
So we sit at the table. I munch on small pieces of toast and bacon. Draco eats less than I do. He constantly looks over at me. I don't want his pity, but then again it feels good to have someone be concerned about me.  
  
They walk in. Everyone takes their eyes off us finally, only to turn their attention to them. The story seemed to have spread through the entire school already. I feel my cheeks burning. Tears are welling up. I will not cry. I will not cry.  
  
"Be strong" someone whispers to me. I smile. This will not get me down. I am strong. I am. I just need to prove it to myself, and to everyone else. I turn to Draco.  
  
"I think today I will be happy. I think today will be a great day" I say leaving him with a shocked look on his face. I'm starting to realize that I am learning from him. He teaches me to hold my head up high. No one has to know what I feel like inside unless I feel like letting them know. He has shown me how to be strong. He has shown me how to fight.  
  
I put a stack of pancakes on our two plates. "Eat up. We need our strength for potions" I say with a smile on my face. He smiles back, but it soon fades. He is looking behind me. I turn only to have the smile wiped off my own face.  
  
"I don't want to talk to you right now. I am enjoying breakfast right now. Please go back to your house table until you are ready for classes".  
  
"Hermione please. . ." but I cut him off.  
  
"I said go back to your house table. I do not feel like talking to you right now. But if you are looking for a friend to chat with I'm sure Lavender is free". I turn away from him. I will be strong. I will not falter. But I cannot be tempted to cry because he is standing there.  
  
He looks extremely disappointed. I don't really care right now. He has no idea the pain he has caused me. Well, maybe he has an idea. But I still don't want to deal with him right now.  
  
I go back to my breakfast. It's delicious as always. As soon as I finish Draco asks if I'm ready and we head back to the common room. I disappear into my room to gather my things for Potions taking a bit longer than usual. When I emerge there is a note on the floor.  
  
'People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self centered. Forgive them anyway'.  
  
That's it. That's all it says. In confusion I pick it up and take it along with me. Who knows where it came from? It's time for class anyway.  
  
****Draco****  
  
I wrote that note. She doesn't know. And I won't tell her. Not for a while at least. I know it confuses her, but she is bright. She will figure it out.  
  
Potions should be a fun experience this year. We walk down to the dank dungeons together. "So this is what friends do huh?" I ask her as we walk down.  
  
"Yeah, this is what it's like to be nice. I'm glad you finally figured it out" she smiles back. It's good to see her smile. She really isn't half bad looking. . .for a bushy haired know it all of course.  
  
It feels good to be like this. It is nice to have someone care about you for who you are. . .not just for money. She doesn't like me for my name. It's the opposite. She hates my name. I know she is real with me. We really are friends. I can't believe it. But I'm not complaining either.  
  
Snape is going to be interesting this year. I wonder how he will treat me. I'm not technically in Slytherin anymore, and I am no longer a Malfoy. Maybe it won't be as bad as I think.  
  
We enter his classroom. He seems to have mellowed this year. No longer does he scream at us. Actually I think he is so disappointed that he doesn't say much to us at. He never had much confidence in us. Who cares? He's a bitter old man. Everyone just seems bitter nowadays.  
  
Potter and Lavender come in together. It seems as though they are not too popular among the students. But give it a day. Everyone will move on to something else. It's just the way it goes.  
  
"Ahh, Mr. Potter. The subject of all the talk around this school. Seems as though you are making your rounds with the girls. Here's a bit of advice. Break up with the previous girl before moving on. It avoids rumors and gossip. Which in turn makes me happier. The last thing I want to hear about is your romantic escapades". And with that he turned away. To tell you the truth Potter looked a little hurt. He is such a wimp. But that anger was back in his eye when I looked back. He doesn't have a right to be angry. That's not how it works.  
  
Class is painfully long. It's a myth that this is my favorite class. I don't think this is anyone's favorite class. And if it is, then that person has a problem. Of course as we walk out Harry catches up with us.  
  
"Hermione, can I please talk to you". He's begging. It makes me sick. No self respecting person should be reduced to begging. And no man should make a girl cry. Unbelievable that I actually said that, I know. I must be growing up. Weird.  
  
She looks at him. She is studying his face. She looks into those eyes and I know she won't be able to say no. "I do have a break. I was going to go to the library, but I suppose I could talk to you instead" she goes on. His face was priceless. He looked so shocked. His mouth gaped open.  
  
"Oh. . .uh . . .great! Let's go to the common room" he spits out. He is tripping over small words at the mere excitement of talking to Hermione.  
  
"Let's go to my common room. I don't want any interruptions when you are making your excuses" she replies coolly. He can tell. He knows he is getting the cold shoulder. But he is so damn pathetic that he will follow her around like a lost puppy for five minutes of her time.  
  
They proceed to the common room. I follow. I only intend to stay in my room while this goes on. I want to make sure someone is there to pick up the pieces, if need be. I will be there for her. This friend thing is so easy. I love it.  
  
****Hermione****  
  
He wants to talk. . .fine we'll talk. I'll give him what he wants, and maybe he will leave me alone once and for all. We sit down on the couch and he looks trapped. This is my territory and I am going to tell him how it is.  
  
"Hermione, I am sorry".  
  
"Yeah I know. You are sorry. Don't say it again. I don't want to hear that".  
  
"You need to know what happened. You need to hear the story Hermione. You need to listen to me". He's right and I know it. The last thing I want is a play by play of the events, but I guess it's what I need.  
  
"Lavender knew I was upset. You were so distant from me. She took me on a walk. She got too close to me. I didn't see it coming I swear" he was trying to convince me.  
  
"Harry, how did it make you feel?" I ask and he does a double take. "Tell me how she made you feel". This seemed to be the last thing he wanted to hear. It was the last thing he wanted to tell me.  
  
He looks to the floor. "It wasn't you. She wasn't you. . .and. . ." he stopped.  
  
"Say it Harry. Tell me what it was like".  
  
"I liked it. It was different. Hermione, I don't want to hurt you. I'm so sorry".  
  
"Harry, don't be sorry. Don't say sorry. You liked it. It's not me you want. . . .I love you Harry. I love you a lot. And I know you love me too. But maybe we are only meant to be friends. Maybe this was a wake-up call". Tears are streaming down my face at this point.  
  
"I don't want this to be over. I love you. I want you to be the one" he says to me with tears in his eyes.  
  
"I know. I want you to be the one too. But I don't think you are. And I don't want this to happen again. Maybe we will be together someday, but I don't think we are meant to be". I give him a hug and we hold each other for a long time. Finally he lets go.  
  
"So what's the deal with you and Malfoy? How is he treating you?"  
  
"It's fine Harry. We are doing okay. This year won't be as bad as I thought. Look, I'm sorry I put you through crap on the train and everything. I think you should go and be with Lavender. I think you like her. And I know she likes you". He looks at me with doubt in his eyes. "I'm serious Harry. Go be happy. This is how it should be". He gives me one last kiss. One last long and lingering kiss. Enough to melt my heart. I break it off. "You really need to go" I tell him. I am very sad right now, but at the same time I know this is right.  
  
He turns and heads out the portrait hole. "Goodnight Hermione. You are still my best friend" he tells me as he leaves. I love that man. I love him. . .as a friend. I feel much better now. I think I have done the right thing.  
  
Draco comes down the stairs. He sees me crying by the fire and comes to my rescue. My knight in shining armor.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked me. He is so cute with that concerned look on his face. No, stop. He is not cute. He is my friend. That's all there is to it.  
  
"I think I feel better than you" I reply. Maybe he will let his guard down. Maybe not. I can only hope he will let me in.  
  
****Draco****  
  
"Tortured her". I put my head down. It's just going to come out. I can tell. I'm ready to talk. "My father tortured my mother". Her mouth is wide open in horror. She is so innocent and naïve. She grew up in a happy home. She has two parents that love each other. She doesn't know what it's like. This is an alien concept to her. She has no idea what to say.  
  
"Don't say anything" I tell her. It's almost a relief to her. "He put her under a series of curses. He made me help him. He made me curse my own mother. She went insane. She was delusional. She no longer knew who I was. Every night I said goodnight. Every night I told her I loved her. But she didn't know who I was. She never said it back. That doesn't matter. If she did, she wouldn't have really meant it anyway".  
  
I continue on. I don't want to stop. If I stop I will never start again. This needs to be said. "My dad was thrown in Azkaban. He went insane there. There was no one around. No dementors. Just him. He was alone. And his made him crazy. I went and saw him before he died. I saw him enough to curse him and leave. I let him die. He deserved it. He fucking deserved it!" I cried out. And then I stopped. There was no need to say anything more.  
  
"Oh Draco" she cried to me. Tears seemed to be a permanent fixture on her face. She cried for me. She cried about what had happened to me. And then she held an arm out to me. She hugged me. She gave me a real hug. A hug with feeling. I felt her. She meant a lot to me suddenly. I don't know how this happen, but I wouldn't change it for the world. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
We stay in the common room. We stay on the couch in each other's arms. It feels great to have someone hold me. It feels like a relief to be allowed to cry for once. She skips her classes. It's almost shocking, but then I remember we have an excuse. We are Head Boy and Girl; we can almost do whatever we want.  
  
The crying has stopped and we sit in silence. "So, forgave Potter did ya? What made you do that" I ask her out of curiosity.  
  
"Oh something just reminded me that sometimes people are unreasonable, illogical, and self centered. Forgive them anyway" she replies simply. I knew she would understand it.  
  
"Sounds like words of wisdom" I reply to her.  
  
"Yes, you are quite wise. But where did you get that little quote from anyway". I told you she was smart. I knew she would figure out it was me.  
  
"Oh, I just scrounged it up from some old book. Now, tell me about you and Potter".  
  
"Well what can I say? It's over. I love him dearly, and we are still friends. But I think we were just forcing it a bit. I don't think we were really in love like we thought we were. The odd thing is, I'm not really upset about it" she replies with a puzzled look on her face. "I almost feel free. . . Anyway, I think it's all for the best. He seemed to take it well".  
  
"It will all be yesterday's news anyway. So I guess now is the time to fill you in".  
  
"Fill me in on what?" she asks with a confused expression. I have been holding this information for a while. I was supposed to tell her, but something told me to wait. Now was as good a time as any.  
  
"Halloween ball. Seems like every time we turn around there's another ball. Well this year we have one for Halloween. We have to dress up and everything. And here's the kicker, we have to go together" I finish. I try to make it sound like I have better things to do, but I'm sure she knows better.  
  
"Great" she replies. "Well, I guess we better get started on costumes. This should be interesting" she replies with a less than enthused look on her face.  
  
I'm not so excited myself. I don't dance. It just does not happen. I know the waltz and useless dances like that. But that's not cool. I refuse to look like a fool in front of the student body. Anyway, we have time before the ball. It's still almost three weeks from now.  
  
****Hermione****  
  
Merlin, time flies. It's been almost three weeks since that night Draco and I talked. Almost three weeks since I broke it off with Harry. He seems to be doing well. He and Lavender are becoming closer than ever. However, I no longer feel she is taking my place. We are merely gaining a new person in our circle.  
  
I still can't believe what Draco told me that night. I still can't believe how difficult his life has been. It's no wonder he was such a prat. He was treated like one himself. He really has changed in these few weeks we have been in school.  
  
I look at him now in a different light. He is still the same Draco he has always been, physically. He's still platinum blonde, with silver orbs for eyes, and still very pale. But he is handsome in his own way. He is different on the inside. He is nice. He is almost sweet, but I will never tell him that to his face.  
  
I find myself attracted to him. This can't happen. He's Draco. We agreed to be friends. That's all. It's all for the sake of being Head Boy and Girl. I can't feel this way about him. I just can't. I put him out of my mind.  
  
I head up to my room one night. The ball is in a mere two days. I am busy constructing my costume in all my free time. It's a beautiful pink dress with a tiara. I am going to be a princess. I guess if I have to go, I might as well make a lasting impression.  
  
On my way up to my room I see there is a note that has been hastily taped to my door. I peel it off and begin to read.  
  
Miss. Hermione Granger,  
  
Your presence has been requested on Saturday night, October the thirty- first. Please be ready in the common room by 8 p.m. sharp. Thank you for joining me.  
  
Mr. Draco Malfoy  
  
How sweet. I wonder if he made that up himself. I can't wait to go to this ball. Suddenly I can't wait to spend time with Draco. I know I can't really like him, but going to the ball will be fun anyway.  
  
****Draco****  
  
The ball will be great. It will be a time that I can spend with Hermione, even though I know we can never be together. I like her very much, but we agreed to be friends. She doesn't want me, and I don't really blame her.  
  
I will not dance at this ball . . . unless she really asks me to. But I have enough to worry about. I know for a fact she is going to be a princess. I will be her prince. She just doesn't know that yet. I think we are getting a bit too close to just say we are just friends, but who am I to stop that?  
  
The night of the ball is already upon us and I have the best idea. My costume is the greatest. I walk over to her door and knock lightly. I can tell through the window that it is getting dark out and the moon is shining brightly. Quickly I take out my wand and transfigure myself into a frog. The door opens slowly and she looks out. She looks stunning in her light pink dress. It's strapless but puffs out quite a bit. She's really playing up the princess thing. She finally looks down and sees me. Sitting beside me is a sign that I had planted. 'Kiss every frog you see and someday you'll find a prince". She picks me up and giggles. "And what happens if I don't kiss you?" she asks with an evil glint in her eye. "I think I like the frog Draco". This is the beauty of magic. You can really live out some of your fairy tales. She loves it. I know I made her smile.  
  
She gives me a small peck anyway, and I am transformed back to myself. Not just myself, but a new improved version. I stand before her with a suit on. A muggle suit. I look sharp. I know I look good. I didn't gel my hair tonight, and I think she likes that.  
  
"My, don't you look nice tonight" she says with a smile. "Well I suppose I am ready to go if I must". I can tell she doesn't want to go. That's okay, because dancing isn't my cup of tea either. But we head down to the Great Hall anyway.  
  
****Harry****  
  
Things are definitely looking up. Hermione and I are still great friends. Unfortunately, it's not the same as it used to be. She spends a lot of time with Draco, but I assume that is merely due to their duties. I shrug it off. I see her when I can. And with quidditch starting up I am sure to see her at the matches.  
  
Lavender and I are doing really well. Everyone has forgiven us for our little misunderstanding . . . even Ron. Now I am focusing on her for a while. I know there is something between us. But we decided not to rush anything. I don't want to mess anything up. I don't want to repeat my mistakes.  
  
We arrive at the ball early. We take our seats at one of the many round tables in the Hall. It's beautiful in here. There are giant pumpkins sitting all around that I'm sure Hagrid grew with the help of his little pink umbrella. Streamers hang from the ceiling and pixies flutter around lighting up the whole room. The lighting illuminates Lavender's face in a way I can't explain. She looks beautiful tonight. She is dressed as Satine from Moulin Rouge, and she forced me to be Christian. It's not that bad though. I get to wear a muggle outfit. That's not as bad as making me be a pumpkin or something.  
  
The rest of the students begin to file in. Faces light up at the sight of the Hall. Everyone agrees that it is a beautiful sight. How could they not agree? There are so many different costumes including Pansy Parkinson dressed as Trinity from the Matrix. I think she just wanted an excuse to wear leather.  
  
Then the couple of the night walks in. Hermione has come with Draco. Not much of a surprise. I feel bad for her though. I bet she had to come with him. They probably have to start the dancing too. She looks gorgeous though. She is always beautiful. Her hair is the most amazing of all. It has golden highlights and has been thoroughly straightened. Extensions must have been added because it falls down to the middle of her back. She's a sight for sore eyes. Tonight she doesn't look like the Hermione I know.  
  
"Harry, wake up" I feel someone tapping on my shoulder. It's Lavender. "Earth to Harry". I snap out of my daze and turn my eyes to her. She really looks beautiful in her red off the shoulder dress. I kiss her lips softly. "Sorry" I whisper back. She just smiles at me.  
  
******** Finally the time comes for the first dance. Everyone was anticipating this event, eager to get out on the dance floor with their dates. When Dumbledore stands up and clears his throat a hush sweeps across the crowd. "Could the Head Boy and Girl please step forward" he announces to the school. Hermione and Draco step to the middle of the floor. Her gown sweeps along the floor. She looks beautiful, and Malfoy looks no less handsome. Spotlights shine on them and music starts playing and immediately they begin to move to the beat. They are in their own world. "I know I said I don't dance" he whispered in her ear, "but for you I will make an exception". He was so close she could feel his warm breath on her neck. Her knees weakened and she felt like melting.  
  
"Look at them" Ron thought to himself. "It's almost as if they don't mind being in each other's arms" he thought with disgust. He had arrived at the dance with no date in tow, just the idea that he would dance with every girl he could and have a great time. Although, he seemed to have his eyes glued to the blonde in the leather. If only he realized who it was behind those sunglasses, he wouldn't be so excited.  
  
In the meantime Hermione and Draco didn't take their eyes or hands off each other in the middle of the room. All eyes were on them but they didn't notice anyone else. Hermione looked into Draco's eyes and felt saddened by the fact that she couldn't have him. Little did she know that the feeling was mutual.  
  
The song ended but the two did not part. Suddenly, and without warming, Draco leaned down and kissed her lips. "Thank you for the dance" he whispered in her ear before letting go, turning around, and leaving the ball. He really couldn't take it. He wanted to hold her in his arms like that everyday. He knew he couldn't.  
  
He fled the ball leaving everyone, including Hermione, in a sheer state of shock.  
  
****Draco****  
  
Damn it Malfoy! Don't be such a wimp! I can't believe I just put on a show like that. I can't believe I became so weak that I succumbed to my urges. I am weak. I am so weak. It's about damn time I admit it. Maybe I should keep my distance from her. Maybe I should stay away and these feelings will disappear. All I know is that I just left her in the middle of the dance floor all alone. I know that everyone is staring at her right now. And I feel terrible inside.  
  
I run my fingers through my hair. I like it loose like this. I stand outside the Hall. I can still hear the music pounding in my brain. I close my eyes and imagine the way she was holding me. Her arms were around me. I felt her so close to me.  
  
I wish she wanted me too.  
  
I see someone run by me. A pink blur. It's Hermione. No one else was wearing such a big pink dress. "Hermione!" I call out behind her. No, I need to give her space. Why did I call her name? I can't face her. I can't look her in the eye and deny I have feelings for her. She stops abruptly and turns around to look at me.  
  
"Draco! What the hell was that?" she asks with an almost panicked look on her face. I don't know what to say to her. I turn my head away in disgust.  
  
"I'm sorry" I whisper. It's hardly audible. I'm such a liar. I am not sorry. I am not sorry I felt her sweet lips on mine. I am not sorry that I feel so close to her. I guess this is what happens when you actually get close to someone. You just get your heart broken. That's the irony.  
  
I am happiest with her. I am saddest with her. I like her, yet I know I can't have her. It's bittersweet when I am around her.  
  
"Why are you sorry?" she asks. Now it's my turn to be perplexed. She threw her arms around my neck. "Draco, I have been waiting for that for so long . . . can you do it again?" she asked as she looks at her feet. She is embarrassed to be asking this.  
  
"As you wish, princess" I tell her with a smile and I capture her lips once more. I don't know if things will ever work between us, but at this particular moment I don't care. I am caught up in emotion. Real emotion. Emotions I have never felt before. I kiss her with desire and passion. And I break away.  
  
"Wow" is all I can say to her. She turns to me with a look at me with surprise. "That wasn't your first kiss" she says to me.  
  
"No it wasn't. But it was the best kiss of my life" I say honestly. She smiles at me. "Have I told you how beautiful you are?" I ask her.  
  
"Yeah, but feel free to tell me again". I hold her close to me.  
  
"This is what I want Hermione. I think I'm falling for you". There I said it. It's out in the open. I pray she doesn't shoot me down.  
  
She only holds me closer. "I am so happy to hear you say that" she tells me. I'm shocked. I had no idea she would want me, Draco Malfoy, over the great Harry Potter. But I'm not complaining. I only touch my lips to hers again knowing that this has to be kept a secret and sure we will have to talk about this all later. But for right now I am too caught up in my feelings to even think about consequences.  
  
A/N: So my writing wasn't that great for this chapter. Sorry. But I wanted to get this out in the open. Don't worry; there will be more of a plot later. Just give me some time to set it up. I hope you enjoy it. And by the way, maybe Head Boy and Girl stay in their houses. I just thought it would be more fun if they didn't. Please Review! It makes me super happy! 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry to confuse you. They weren't in the middle of the Hall in the kiss. Draco had ran outside of it, and she soon followed. I'm trying to make this as clear and detailed as I can. Let me know if I can do anything else to help make this a better story.  
  
Chapter 8  
  
I quickly pull out of his warm in brace, though reluctantly. No one can see us like this. One reason would be as Head Boy and Girl we should be enforcing the rules, not breaking them. The other two reasons would be Harry and Ron. I can't hurt them like this. Yeah, I know that it shouldn't matter anymore. It's clear that Lucius is dead, as well as the rest of the Death Eaters. Draco is no longer a threat. But that's not the problem.  
  
Draco has always been the enemy. From our first day at the castle he was always the enemy. His status cannot change overnight. If I know Harry and Ron, and I do, they are not going to forgive and forget as easily as I have. And them catching me in Draco's arms is only going to start a fight.  
  
He looks at me with sadness in his eyes. He looks so lost. This is the same way he looked when this year began. Like a lost boy. And I completely understand why. The only problem is I am the only one that understands. I am the only one who knows how his life has been. I am the only one who has heard the story first hand. I am the only one who really senses his pain.  
  
"I'm sorry" I whisper. "It's just not the right time" I say quickly. I feel a sick feeling in my stomach. I feel like someone is watching me. I shrug it off. "I like you Draco, I really do. Can we talk about it later?" I ask him. I don't know how to handle this right now. I don't know what to say to him.  
  
I'm being stupid and I know it. I know I can explain things to Harry and Ron and they will believe me eventually. But I am a wimp. I am too scared to tell them. I am scared they will find out I like Draco, but I have no good reason. I am just being weak.  
  
"I will tell you what I will do. I will go back in the Hall, and meet you in the common room after the dance. I have some things I need to take care of, and then I will take care of us" I tell him. He doesn't have a clue what I'm talking about. The only thing he understands about me is that he doesn't understand me at all. But he knows I'm smart, he knows I have good judgment. So he lets me go, though reluctantly. He disappears down the corridor with his hands in his pockets and proceeds up the stairs. That muggle suit did compliment his form nicely.  
  
*********  
  
Hermione headed back in the hall. Once again all eyes were on her. Her pink gown swished around her ankles as she appeared to be floating. She was so happy inside, and only hoped that her friends would feel the same way.  
  
She spotted Harry dancing with Lavender and of course both turned to stare as she walked up to them. "Can I cut in?" she asked Lavender. Of course she was granted permission to dance with her best friend. She carefully put her arms around him and began to sway to the beat.  
  
"So what the hell was that about?" he asked as nonchalantly as he could. But he was angry. He was angry that his enemy had put his lips on his best friend. Angry that Hermione had to touch that slimeball. He was just angry.  
  
"I don't know Harry. I didn't know he was going to do that" she tried to convince him. But she knew he was mad. This was going to be harder than she thought. But he had to know tonight. She had to tell him now. "Look Harry, there's more to the story than you know".  
  
He looked at her with suspicion in his eyes. More to the story? What did that mean? Had this been going on for a while? No that couldn't be it. Hermione would never associate with him voluntarily. That would never happen. He was sure of it. "What are you talking about Hermione? You need to explain".  
  
"You know Harry, I don't believe we have ever danced together. Even when we dated and we had the Valentine's Day dance. You never danced with me. Even when I begged you, you would not dance with me. Why was that? You were just dancing with Lavender" she suddenly asked. It had never dawned on her, but now it did.  
  
"I don't believe that's really important here. I just thought I would give her one dance, and you cut in on it. Now I'm going to have to dance another one" he responded.  
  
"Fine, dance with her. I don't want to dance with you anymore Harry Potter" she replied. She was feeling worked up. The prospect of telling him about Draco made fear flood through her mind. She stormed away from him. Her emotions were running at an all time high and she knew it.  
  
Soon she spotted Ron dancing with a little blonde girl dressed as a pixie. She would try him next, although he would react the worst she was sure. "May I cut in she asked the young girl". Both Ron and the girl looked a little unpleased about the question, but the girl stepped back anyway.  
  
"Hermione, I was busy" he told her as she put her arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry Ron, but I just wanted to talk to you".  
  
He seemed clueless as always. He had been so busy dancing checking out all the females at the dance he had not even seen the spectacle that had happened only moments ago. "About me and Draco". A look of confusion swept over his freckled features.  
  
"I'm sorry if he is giving you a hard time Mione, but can we deal with him later? Katie and I were having a nice little time dancing". He was ignoring her. Just like Harry did, he was going to just ignore her. Fine. She didn't need them anyway. She stalked away from Ron. She was on the far side of the hall this time and proceeded through the middle to the exit on the other side. Before she could get there she was intercepted by Draco himself.  
  
"Who cares if they know? Why do you care if you tell them right now?" he asked simply. "Just be with me now. We can let them know right now". He took her by the hand as the music stopped. "Sonorus" he said as he pointed his wand to his throat.  
  
"My gift is my song And this one's for you And you can tell everybody That this is your song It may be quite simple but Now that it's done I hope you don't mind That I put down in words How wonderful life is Now you're in the world" he sang to her as the swayed to his beat.  
  
"Draco, everyone is going to stare". He only smiled back. That was the point.  
  
"It's a little bit funny this feeling inside  
  
I'm not one of those who can easily hide  
  
I don't have much money but boy if i did  
  
I'd buy a big house where we both could live  
  
If I was a sculptor, but then again, no  
  
Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show  
  
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do  
  
My gift is my song and this one's for you How wonderful life is while you're in the world  
  
I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss  
  
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross  
  
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song  
  
It's for people like you that keep it turned on  
  
So excuse me forgetting but these things i do  
  
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue  
  
Anyway the thing is what I really mean  
  
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen"  
  
He continued to sing to her and only her until the song was done. All eyes were on them obviously as his voice had taken over the entire hall. "Quietus" he said to himself. "Now they know. What are you going to do about it?" he asked with a smile. She only smiled back. Part of her was scared, part was embarrassed, but mostly she was relieved. She was relieved that everybody would know.  
  
She looked over to see Harry staring at her in horror. "I'm going to do this" she replied with a smile and captured his lips in a kiss. It was now Draco's turn to have a look of surprise. "I think it's time we get out of here". He held out his arm to her and she took it with her own. With all eyes on them they exited the Great Hall that night with their heads held high.  
  
She had been right. Hold your head high and be strong and no one will see you are troubled inside. Now she held her head up high because she was happy. She knew it would be too good to last, but she could worry about that later. Right now she was going to spend her evening with Draco, and she couldn't have been happier.  
  
She headed up to the common room leaving gaping mouths and stares behind her. Even the teachers could not believe the spectacle they had just beheld. The two climbed the stairs and up to the snoring portrait. Their portrait seemed to be sleeping all the time. None the less they spoke the password and the frame swung open allowing them access to their home. Hermione looked up at her prince. "My you do look handsome in your tux" she said sweetly. He smiled down at her and took her in his arms. "And you smell like heaven" she said as she leaned into his chest, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.  
  
"You look like an angel" was all he could reply. He held her and closed his eyes, while resting his head on hers. "I was afraid you would be mad about what I did out there" he confessed to her. She loosened her grip on him and looked up into his eyes. Those eyes that were so easy to get lost in.  
  
"I never would have expected that in a million years. But I couldn't have waited a million years anyway. I didn't think you could ever like me in that way" she confessed to him. She didn't feel good enough when she was around him anymore. "I used to feel superior to you" she said regretting it the moment it came out, "now I feel like I will never be good enough for you".  
  
He smiled down on her. "And I feel the same way about you. Isn't it odd how these things work out?" She smiled back at him. "I still can't believe you kissed me back. I expect to wake up from my dream any moment now".  
  
She pinched his side and he squirmed away from her. "Looks like you aren't dreaming tonight" she said with a smile. They sat down on the couch and sipped hot cocoa together that night. There was no sexual contact that night. It was emotion, pure and true. It can be a powerful thing. They talked about everything that night. . . everything that they hadn't talked about before. They laughed and joked. In the early hours of the morning they finally both dozed off in each other's arms. Both were happier than they had been in a long time. The only issue left would be facing Harry and Ron in the morning, a prospect neither of them wanted to think about.  
  
A/N: OK it's a short one. I'm sorry about that. I did most of this chapter in no point of view, because some people requested that. I'm trying to keep everyone happy. I just feel it's easier to show emotion if I am in their POV. Tell me what you think about the latest. The next chapter might not be up until Monday. . . we shall see. REVIEW! 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
I fell asleep with this little girl in my arms. A little girl, who had turned into this beautiful woman, and no one else had seemed to notice. But she was mine now. And she had actually looked past my cold hearted and evil past to see the man I could be, and the man I am slowly becoming. How I beat out Potter for her affections, I will never understand.  
  
For a while I was afraid. I was afraid of her. She has this power over me. She was turning me into a softer human being, and I was scared. For as long as I can remember I had be trained to be cold and heartless, for if you are not then you are not a killer. I was trained to be a killer. I was a soldier, I was a robot. I did only what I was programmed to do. Then Hermione came along. Hermione saved me from a life that would have only brought misery to everyone. I am forever in her debt.  
  
I am no longer afraid. Morning comes and the sun shines through the common room window. I wake first and for hours I sit and stare into her beautiful face. She is so peaceful. I have fallen for her, hard. And, for once, I'm not sorry.  
  
I know people are talking. I know the rise of the sun brings sense to everyone, and soon they will all be remembering what they saw last night, whether they believe it or not. There will soon be a buzz in every corridor. Rumors will fly like never before. No one will believe what happened, and no one will ever know the full truth, except me and Hermione. And for the first time in my life, I don't care. I just look down into those pretty brown eyes and I realize that she is worth it to me. I just pray that I am worthy of her. I hope she doesn't just walk out on me from this situation.  
  
I lean down and kiss her lightly on the forehead and she stirs. Her beautiful brown eyes blink open and she inhales deeply. A sweet smile spreads across her face when she looks up and sees me. This must be heaven.  
  
"Good morning" I whisper to her. "Are you ready for breakfast?"  
  
"Yes, but only if I don't have to get up from this position" she replies. She shows no signs of getting up, and I can't say that I mind. I love this closeness. This is something I have never experienced before. I'm drinking it all in as rapidly as I can. I can't believe that someone cares for me in this way. I always assumed I would be married, but it was to be arranged. That's why I want these moments to last forever.  
  
"I wish we could too, but we really do need to go eat. We do have to go to classes today you know" I remind her. Her slender arms remain around me, and I really don't want to move. However, she takes matters into her own hands and stands up from our sleeping position. Her arms rise above her head and she stretches. God, she's gorgeous; even in the morning.  
  
"Yeah you're right" she says reluctantly. She kisses me lightly on the lips before turning and walking up the steps. I turn and walk up behind her, and she knows full well I can't keep my eyes off of her. However, we must retreat to our separate rooms to change for the day.  
  
I slip off the tux that I am still wearing. After a quick shower I slip into the usual school uniform that does not accentuate my body, and that's too bad. I know I looked good in that tux. I step out into the common room and wait for Hermione. 'She probably had trouble getting out of that dress, and it's too bad I couldn't help her' I think to myself with a chuckle. I sit by the fireplace to wait for her. We will walk down to the hall together, and we will not breakdown in front of the student body just because they will be staring and whispering. I'm not worried about myself, but I know Hermione, and I know she is going to react. I just don't know how she will react exactly.  
  
She comes down the stairs wearing the uniform she wears everyday. It doesn't accentuate her body in the same way her dress had, but she still looks beautiful. I am really turning soft here; I just have to remind myself that it's okay. I need to throw my Malfoy training out the window for once. It's proving to be a bit easier than I ever thought.  
  
She takes my hand and we walk down the corridor to the Great Hall. We know what we are in for. We are prepared. We are prepared to look the other way, and to care only for each other. As for Potter and Weasley, well I know they will come around like they always do. I just hope Hermione can be strong until then. I may be falling for her, but I am not yet prepared to handle a mental breakdown.  
  
****Hermione****  
  
Last night was a dream come true. It was a fairy tale. I think every girl can agree with me on that. I remember Draco and me dancing together out on the dance floor, swaying to the music as he sang to me. It was only me and him. I felt like no one else was around. His embrace was so warm, and his words so genuine. The room was spinning, I was falling head over heels.  
  
Don't get me wrong. I know there were many mouths gaping open. I know there were stares and whispers. But I also know that it will only continue for a while. I'm ready to handle that. No one's opinion matters to me, except for the Gryffindors, well, two of them in particular. I know in my heart that Harry and Ron will come around. I know that it will all turn out, but I also knew it would take a while and wouldn't be easy. I wish there wasn't a problem here. It would just be easier if I had fallen for someone else. It would be easier if the object of my affections wasn't a Slytherin or Malfoy for that matter. But I look over at his pale face, and I think about what he means to me, and I know that I love him . . . I think.  
  
I can't believe that thought just ran through my head. Do I love him for real? Do I want to spend the rest of my life with him? Part of me says 'Don't go so fast' but a big part of me says 'Let yourself fall, allow yourself to love him'. I think I will go with the latter.  
  
As we walk into the hall the stares commence just like Draco and I had assumed they would. Well, I have been through this before. After the whole Harry kissing Lavender incident I experienced a lot of rumors. This is no different. After all, this school is only full of teenagers just waiting for more to prey on. The more rumors, the better. It's something I will never comprehend.  
  
I notice that most of the attitude is coming from the Slytherin table. Sure, there is also quite a bit from the Gryffindors, but those at the end table had the meanest glares I have ever seen. What they have against me dating Draco I will never know. I know Draco is still a Slytherin, but I didn't think they had a use for him anymore. I honestly didn't think they were harboring any sort of feeling for him.  
  
We eat quickly, and I am ready to get out of there. I think Draco is feeling the same way. We head out to classes, as all of our classes are together. First off just happens to be potions. We are punished with having that class first everyday, but this way we don't have double potions in one day. Of course, we have it with the Slytherins and Gryffindors, but it will be okay. We head off to the dungeons together. It's dank and dark down there, but I don't seem to mind anymore. It's a relief knowing that this is my last year of this nasty territory. It's somewhere I don't ever care to be in again.  
  
Draco and I take our seats together. Harry and Ron soon come in and take their normal seats on the Gryffindor side of the room. They glare at us. Okay, so I may be exaggerating here, but they weren't exactly friendly. I make a mental note to talk to them later. Class proceeds.  
  
"Good morning" Snape drones on. "Today we will be making a Polyjuice Potion. Instructions are on the board. Get to work". He doesn't say much to us anymore. He takes a seat behind his desk and reads a book. He doesn't even bother to look up at us anymore.  
  
A smile creeps along my face when I hear the words 'Polyjuice Potion'. I glance over to Harry and Ron and expect them to smile back. I guess I expect too much. Well, at least I know exactly how to brew this potion. Draco looks over to me and sees the smile on my face. I immediately get to work, when I notice him eyeing me.  
  
"Aren't you going to badger me to help you like you always do?" he asks me. I look up and smile.  
  
"It's okay" I reply to him. "I read up a lot on this one, I know exactly how to get an A today". He smiles and looks the other way. He doesn't seem it's odd I know how to brew this potion. And I don't care to tell him exactly why I know.  
  
Once class ends we proceed out to the corridor. I call out for Harry and Ron and they spin around to face me. It's time to talk.  
  
****Harry****  
  
She wants to talk. Fine, we will talk about this. Let's get this out in the open.  
  
"Yeah?" I ask while I give her a look that makes her know I am not happy with her.  
  
"I . . .uhh . . . just wanted to talk to you two. I wanted to tell you something" she stutters out. She's nervous. My walls start to crumble. My best friend should not be crying. I love this girl so much, but I don't know what's going on with her mind right now.  
  
Anger rises inside me when I see Draco step up behind her. Hurt him, is the only thought that runs through my head. "So you want to talk do you? Okay, why don't we tell ole Drakey here exactly how you knew how to brew the potion. Why don't you let him know what happened?" I asked her with a vicious tone in my voice.  
  
I regretted what I had said the moment it came out. I knew I shouldn't have gone there. I knew I should have never said that. She was taken aback. Her mouth fell open in horror. She had never intended to tell him the story, and that's just an obvious observation.  
  
Stuttering noises were all that was emitted from her mouth. But Draco spoke up. "Look Potter, this isn't the time. This is serious" he continued. I could tell he was interested in what I had said, but he really meant business.  
  
"We don't really want to talk right now" I told him. I didn't want to talk to them. Let them sweat it out for a while. I am not prepared to accept Hermione actually likes Draco. This is not really happening. I know she will come to her senses. All she needs is some time.  
  
Ron and I turn and stalk away. He's mad as hell. He has always had a much worse temper than I, especially when it involves Malfoy. He is one reason we have to get out of there. I don't want him getting into any trouble over this loser.  
  
We walk up to the dormitory. "Bastard" I hear him mutter under his breath.  
  
"Funny, I was thinking the same thing".  
  
"She can't really like him . . . can she?" he asks with uncertainty.  
  
"It can't be true. This is Hermione. Something must be up". I don't know what it is but I know something is up. Ron and I continue our 'Bash Draco Fest' for about an hour or so, until the hour grows late and we head up to our room. Maybe some sleep will make me feel better, then again maybe not.  
  
****Draco****  
  
What was he talking about? What did he mean 'the reason she knew how to brew the Polyjuice Potion? It was only because she had read about it. That was the only reason. She told me that. And Hermione would not lie to me.  
  
The rest of the day goes quickly, and soon I find myself in that much too comfortable position with Hermione in my arms. The fireplace is a romantic setting, and I think this calls for a little snack.  
  
"I'm going to go to the kitchens and get us a little snack" I told her with a mischievous glint in my eye. Strawberries sound very tasty to me. She smiles at me and I head out the portrait hole.  
  
Strolling down the corridors I see portraits following me, and pointing. Everything in this school is involved in the rumor mill. It sucks. I hear them muttering something about Potter, but I'm not quite sure what they are saying.  
  
I turn the corner and see what they are talking about. Potter is walking this way. Probably to see Hermione. He's not hard to figure out at all. Those three are inseparable.  
  
"Potter" I say, merely acknowledging his existence.  
  
"What? What the fuck do you want this time Malfoy?" he yells back.  
  
"Whoa, calm down there. I'm just going to get some food". I am telling the honest truth. I don't want trouble with him. If anything, I am hoping for a truce, for Hermione's sake only.  
  
"Screw you! I don't know what makes you think you can have Hermione. She doesn't really want you. What? Did you give her a love potion or something? You must have. No girl would really want you voluntarily". He was trying to hurt me. What he doesn't understand is that words don't hurt me. You can cut me like a knife with words and I wouldn't bleed.  
  
"Potter, just go talk to her. She needs you" is all I reply. "She does want me, and it's not because of some love potion. But I don't expect you to believe me. Just go fucking talk to your so called best friend. And just remember, if you are her best friend, then you will put her feelings first". This seemed to piss him off even more.  
  
"You know Draco, you don't even know her" he yells at me. This is true. We are still in that stage where we are trying to learn everything we can about each other. But that doesn't seem to be what he is talking about. I stand there with a puzzled look on my face.  
  
"You know that Polyjuice Potion? She's a pro at it. Do you want to know why Mr. Malfoy? It's because she used it on me and Ron. We used it to spy on you! She helped us sneak into your common room in second year. Yeah, second year! That's how much smarter she is than you!" I had no idea. I wonder why she had never told me about this. But that is not the matter right now.  
  
"You know what Potter; I am tired of dealing with you. You are being a ridiculous child! Go talk to her! Go now! I am going to get food and when I get back you better be comforting her!" I scream at him. I dodge his curse that he throws my way and I simply turn away. I don't care to fight back anymore. I don't want to make any more trouble.  
  
I make my way to the kitchens pondering the fact that she had brewed this potion to use against me. She had actually done this against me. I couldn't really blame her though. I couldn't really feel abused. After so many years of abuse thrown her way, I couldn't feel hurt over this. Sure, I would ask her about it later, but I wouldn't make a big deal about it.  
  
I head back up to the room carrying a large bowl of strawberries. I hope Harry is sitting with her when I get there, but to my dismay he did not take my advice. She remained on the couch unaware of my run in with her best friend.  
  
I sit down beside her and set the bowl down on the table. "So, how about that Polyjuice Potion?" I ask nonchalantly. She looks up at me with an almost horrified look on her face.  
  
"Well . . . you see . . . " she started out. She was stuttering and rambling, and didn't know what to say. She tensed up immediately and was almost trembling.  
  
"Relax, I already know" I told her. Her nerves calmed immediately and I felt her tense body relax. "I had a slight run in with Potter on my way to the kitchens, and he told me. He seemed to think that it would make me cry or something" I say with a laugh.  
  
She manages a nervous laugh. "You saw Harry?" she asks. "Where is he?"  
  
I am forced to tell her that he didn't want to see her. I feel awful for having to admit that to her. I didn't want her to know. She is crushed. Her own best friend was totally ignoring her. How am I supposed to make her feel better.  
  
I hold her in my arms. My warm embrace has to bring comfort and security to her. Tears fall down her face. She can break down when she is with me. It's not a problem. And I think she knows this by now. I wipe her eyes and say nothing. She knows it will only take time, and there's nothing I can say to fix the situation. I can only let it run its course. Until then I am here to pick up the pieces, sort them out, and put them back together again.  
  
I wrap her in my arms tightly before leaning down close and whispering into her ear "I love you, Hermione". She merely smiles at this.  
  
"Draco, I have never felt this way before. I . . . I love you too" she manages to say. One last tear runs down her cheek, but I know this is the good kind. I hold her close to me and begin to sing to her softly:  
  
"When your world breaks down And the voices tell you turn around. When your dreams give out I will carry you, carry you.  
  
When the stars go blind And the darkness starts to flood your eyes. When you're falling behind, I will carry you, carry you You should know now that you're not alone. Take my heart and we will find, you will find, Your way home"  
  
When I finish she is asleep in my arms once more. I manage to stand up and carry her up to her own bed. I lay her down in the soft satin blankets and sit down beside her. For a while I just stare into that beautiful face. That innocent girl has let me into her world, only to be hurt. I have caused her pain. Hopefully, I can make enough happy memories to make up for that.  
  
When I close the door behind me I see Potter in the common room. I need to remember to change that password. I slowly walk down the stairs not taking my eyes off of him. "Can I help you? You seem to have lost your way".  
  
"I came to see Hermione. I came to talk to her" he stammered out.  
  
"Well I am afraid she is sleeping, you should try again tomorrow" I reply. "Or maybe you could just talk to me". He looks me up and down as though he thinks I might be holding some concealed weapon. Finally he agrees and sits down on the couch with me. Little did I know we were in for a long night. 


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry, Harry was quite ooc in the last chapter. My bad. Anyway, I will try to improve him in this latest installment. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 10  
  
****Harry****  
  
Something carried me to the common room that night. Something told me that I needed to talk to Hermione. I didn't want to be mad at her. My heart told me I needed to straighten this out.  
  
Draco steps out of her room and immediately I am suspicious. Why was he in her room? What was he doing in there? He looks innocent enough, but I know he has had some practice with that. He slowly descends the stairs never breaking eye contact. If he wants a staring contest than that is what he will get.  
  
"I came to talk to Hermione" I tell him with force. I can't let this bastard rattle my nerves.  
  
"Well, she is sleeping. Maybe you could talk to me" he responds. Is this a joke? Is he kidding? "And no, Potter, I am not joking. Sit down". I follow him over to the couch and neither of us begin to talk. I take charge of the situation.  
  
"What the hell have you been doing to her?" I ask him fiercely. There is a passion in my heart and I want so badly to protect my best friend. He looks taken aback by my question.  
  
"Look, Potter, I haven't done anything to her! You are the one that is making her miserable!"  
  
"I am not making her miserable! I can make her happy!"  
  
"You can't make her happy! She doesn't love you!" he shouts at me. His words are strong. Love? No way.  
  
"Out with it Malfoy, what's going on?" The argument is getting more and more heated. It's hard to tell who is angrier at this point.  
  
"Is it so hard to believe that she may love me?" he asks. I know this can't be true, but the look on his face is serious. His expression does not falter.  
  
"Screw you, if you can't even tell me what's going on!" I shout back.  
  
"Please don't yell I don't want her to wake up. Maybe we are going about this the wrong way".  
  
"And what would be the right way?" I ask him suspiciously.  
  
"I love her, Harry. I love her with all my heart and soul. Believe me or not, it's the truth". Stunned. That is the only word that can describe what is going through my mind at this moment. Pure shock.  
  
"Don't tell her you love her. Don't mess with her emotions like that".  
  
"I love her, Harry. I honestly love her" he says again. He says my name. He isn't calling me Potter, he is calling me Harry.  
  
"You called me Harry" I say suspiciously.  
  
"Well, that is your name. This is how much I love her. I am sitting here in the middle of the night talking to you. I am calling you Harry. I am willing to call a truce. I love her". Could he really be serious?  
  
"You really love her?" I question him. I can't believe he is saying this.  
  
"I love her. It's that simple".  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Look, I just know okay?"  
  
"It's just . . . well I thought it would be me to be honest".  
  
"Oh honesty from Mr. Potter? You trust me with that information?"  
  
"I probably shouldn't have" I admit with a cringe. What's he going to do with that information?  
  
"Well, I didn't think she would ever love a guy like me either. But she does. Are you okay with that?"  
  
I sit there for a moment. His face is so serious. I am convinced he is not lying. I don't know why, but something tells me he is being honest.  
  
"I loved her too" I admit as I look into the flames. "I lost her. Sure, I have Lavender and I love Lavender. But with Hermione, it was like everyone thought we were meant to be. Which meant I thought we were meant to be too" I gush out.  
  
"I'm sorry" is all he can say. "She does love you, though. You know that". Is he trying to comfort me with these words? Maybe I shouldn't fall for it. But then again, maybe I should.  
  
"Yeah, I know she loves me. So, how did you manage to capture her heart?" I ask him with curiosity.  
  
"I don't exactly know. I told her the truth about me. I told her who I am. I let her in. She has a way of changing people . . . for the better".  
  
"Yeah she does. There is something different about you tonight. Is there something up?" I ask him once more.  
  
"There has been something different about me all summer. I don't expect you to trust me in one night, but no nothing is up. Come on Harry, let's talk. I'll show you that you can trust me as well".  
  
"Fine, what do you want to talk about?" I ask him still eyeing his facial expressions.  
  
"Let me tell you about me. My father is dead, I killed him. My mother is dead, I killed her. But I did not kill her by choice I promise you. I have had a difficult life, which can't be compared to yours. It's on a different scale. While I did have parents, I still wished I hadn't. My mother did love me. But my father's power was too strong. I was beaten everyday for as long as I can remember. The Death Eaters had a lot of fun with me, in ways you don't even want to hear about. I was abused".  
  
"You know I was abused too" I tell him, as though he thinks my life has been so easy.  
  
"Were you repeatedly molested? Did grown men mess with you? . . . I didn't think so!" he yells at me. He looks away and his face holds more anger than I have ever seen on it before in my life. "You are seeing me Harry. Don't piss me off now!" His face softens again and he continues with his story. "I told Hermione about my life, but I left out certain horrible parts. I will tell her about it later. I don't want to upset her too much. So there you have it. That's why I was an asshole. I think you can understand that" he finishes.  
  
I stare at him with a look of horror. I can't believe what I just heard. I can't believe that any human had to go through that.  
  
The clock was nearing the 3:00 am mark. I can't believe it's so late. But I am not tired. I am interested.  
  
"I wish I had a mother that loved me" I whisper. "I mean, I know my parents loved me, but I wish I still had them. Even if I had to be beaten every night, only because I was beaten every night anyway. But that's not what this is about. This is about Hermione and you. And, crazy as it might seem, I'm starting to realize it's not as bad as I may think".  
  
"I'm not looking to be best friends. I want a truce. You are Harry, and I am Draco. I think we can agree to this. I told you who I am tonight. You know the real me, and there are only two people who know me. You should feel honored". He smirks at me. He always has that damned Malfoy attitude. But I see through it. He is honest, and I appreciate it.  
  
"So, Draco, what are the strawberries for?" I ask with a smile.  
  
****Draco****  
  
I can't believe I just spilled all that information to my enemy of six years. I can't believe that I am trusting him. I have to remind myself that he trusts me as well. My father must be turning over in his grave right now.  
  
I feel differently towards Wonderboy, and I'm sure he feels differently toward me. I have been nothing but completely honest with him. I want him to know how much I love her.  
  
As 4:00 am hits I am hit with a wave of sleepiness.  
  
"Look, I'm glad we talked and everything, but I'm getting really tired" he says to me. "Tell Mione I'm sorry, and I will talk to her tomorrow". He stands up and starts to walk away. "And by the way, I'm glad you trust me with all that stuff" he says quietly as he steps outside. I hear his footsteps become more and more feint as he heads up to his dorm. Tomorrow will be a long day due to lack of sleep but for once, it's worth it.  
  
A/N: Ok I hope you didn't think that was lame. I'm really sorry if you did, but here's my thoughts. Draco and Harry need to have a talk so they understand one another and Harry finally understands. I promise that more will happen later. As you read this I am hard at work on the next chapter, as I am aware this one is kinda short. Anyway, more action to come. And as always any and all suggestions are encouraged! Please review and tell me how to improve my story! 


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Okay, let me remind my readers of just one thing. I did state that Harry is a little out of character. I admit it. I know that their friendship went a little fast, but I wanted to do it, and I didn't want to drag it out. I'm sorry if this displeases anyone. I really am. But please try to overlook this one flaw and continue to read. I am going to attempt some kind of plot here, to the best of my plotless abilities haha. I hope you enjoy!  
  
Chapter 11  
  
****Hermione****  
  
Sun breaks through those damned sheer drapes and awakes me yet once again on this snowy morning. Christmas is quickly approaching, and the temperature in the castle is a constant reminder.  
  
I step down out of my warm bed onto a chilling floor. A shiver runs down my spine and I quickly search for my slippers. Looking out the large window snow has blanketed the ground over the course of the night. Flakes continue to fall from the sky, yet the sun is still bright and inviting. It's a beautiful morning. A smile creeps across my weary face as a new day begins. Today will be better than the previous.  
  
I throw on a robe and decide to head over to Draco's room. My smooth silk pajama pants feel icy around my legs on this chilly morning. I leave my room and knock on Draco's. Usually he is up before me, but this morning he isn't answering. I knock harder but still no answer. At this point I decide to just let myself in. I'm sure he won't mind.  
  
There he is in all his glory. His arms and legs are all over the place. I have never in my life seen his hair in such disarray, and his blankets were in quite a knot. Usually he is a peaceful sleeper. He must have been really dreaming last night.  
  
I know a great way to wake him up this morning. Stepping off the cold floor I lay down beside him on the bed. My fingers stroke his soft, but messy, hair. Deep snores are all that I hear. I lightly kiss the top of his head, but he doesn't even stir. This is the deepest sleep I have seen him in yet.  
  
Today we have no classes (A/N I don't keep good track of any time, so let's say today is a Saturday). He is sleeping so soundly, and he looks like an angel. I can't believe I actually think Draco Malfoy looks like an angel. Crossing back over to my room I throw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and head down to the Great Hall. I can just bring breakfast to Draco if he doesn't come down here in time.  
  
I continue through the drafty corridors. I meet a few people along the way, and eventually catch up with Ron and Ginny who are on their way as well.  
  
"Hey guys" I greet them with a big smile. It's always wonderful to see my friends. Of course, it crosses my mind that they are still upset about my situation with Draco, and the smile fades a bit.  
  
"Hey" Ron says while refusing to look me in the eye. Ginny, however, does not seem at all affected and offers me a big smile.  
  
"Good morning, Hermione" she says to me. "Did you talk to Harry last night?" she asks me.  
  
"No . . . Draco said he saw him last night, but he never came to see me" I manage to say while a feel a lump in the back of my throat. It still stings that Harry didn't want to come up and talk to me. I still feel a little rejected.  
  
"Oh, I thought he said he was in your common room. He said he was there until like four in the morning, but he wouldn't talk about it". The look on her face tells me she is thoroughly confused about what's going on, and I have to say that I have no idea as well. I shrug it off. Harry was probably out with Lavender in the Astronomy Tower or something of the sort. He was never one to talk about his love life, he would rather keep it a secret.  
  
"So, Ron" I begin slowly, "How have you bee?" I want to start talking to him again. I want him to know that I still love him immensely. I don't want him to be mad at me. We have spent most of our time together being angry at each other. Memories of fourth year flood back to my memory. That had been our hardest year.  
  
He looks up at me. He is fighting a battle inside his own head. Finally, he seems to have decided what he wants to do and speaks up. "I've been better" was all he could say. I know he is upset. I know what kind of temper Ron has. I definitely don't want to push him.  
  
It's enough for me. I smile back at him, and we have a sort of agreement. He will come around and then I will talk to him. It will be as easy as that . . . yeah right. But I do know that I have to let him cool down. I have to let him come to me. Ron is one of those people you just can't force.  
  
So we walk together to the hall for breakfast and for the first time in a while, I sit with my fellow Gryffindors. I get a few looks from some, and I know that they feel a bit of anger. It seems it's a serious offense to date a Slytherin. Maybe they should make a Gryffindor Handbook so I know these rules. It doesn't matter, I wouldn't have followed them anyway.  
  
I make small talk with my friends, and it feels great to be with them like this. It seems like it's been forever since I have done this. Reality sets in. This is my last year here, and the days of hanging out at the Gryffindor Table are going to end. It's sad, but in a way, I am ready to get on with my life. I am ready to use my knowledge to do better things.  
  
I bid my friends goodbye and take some food up to the common room. I set it on the counter and proceed up to Draco's room. He is still in bed, and I feel for him. I might as well let him sleep. I grab the quill sitting on his desk and quickly scribble out a note.  
  
Draco  
  
I have gone to see Ron and Harry for a while. I will be back to check on you later. There is breakfast for you out on the counter. Enjoy.  
  
Hermione  
  
With that I am out the portrait hole and up the Gryffindor common room.  
  
The Pink Lady is still there guarding the portrait hole as usual. I smile at the familiarity that warms my heart and say the password. She grins back at me and gladly swings open to allow me access to the room I feel I have grown up in.  
  
There is a low buzz of people talking. Two first years are playing a game of Wizard's Chess, and there is a game of exploding snap in the corner. Quickly, I spot Ron and Ginny by the fire.  
  
"Where's Harry?" I ask them with my brow furrowed.  
  
"Still sleeping" Ginny informs me. I have never known Harry to be a late sleeper. It's almost nearing noon. An idea comes to me. While I have Ron here, I might as well talk to him and Ginny. I need to get them to understand.  
  
"Can I talk to you guys, alone?" I ask them timidly. They look up at me, but ask no questions.  
  
"Yeah, we can go up to my room" Ginny replies. (A/N: let's pretend boys can go up the girls' stairs today). They stand up and I follow them up to the empty room. I sit beside Ginny on her giant four poster bed, while Ron takes a seat on a nearby chair. They don't say a word. Instead they stare at me as though they already know what I'm going to say.  
  
"You know, I remember these rooms. I miss these rooms. I miss having roommates" I start out. I'm just rambling. I'm avoiding the subject. I'm avoiding all confrontation. This is not the Hermione I thought I was. I am stronger than this.  
  
"Hermione, we know what you want to talk about, and it's not my room. You can just say it, you know" Ginny coerces me. She is by far more supportive than her brother.  
  
I look up at her, but there is no friendly face. I feel a little trapped now. Why did I have to start this conversation now? "Look, I just wanted to explain to you about me and Draco. I wanted to tell you how I feel" I start.  
  
"And exactly how do you feel?" Ron asks with a sarcasm that stings when it hits me.  
  
"I love him" I put simply. I see Ginny's face lighten. Ron looks as though he could kill. It's exactly what I expected from Ron. "I'm sorry, but it's the truth". I don't know how to get them to believe me. I don't know what I can do.  
  
"Are you sure?" Ginny asks me. That's the last thing I expected to hear. She was curious. There was no viscous tone. It was a question.  
  
"I'm absolutely positive" I say with pure confidence. Ginny's face softened immediately.  
  
"Then that's that" was all she said. Ron, however, did not like that statement.  
  
"Ginny! What are you talking about?" he asks incredulously.  
  
"Ron, just stop acting like a jerk! Look at her. Look at your best friend, and look at the smile that came across her face when I accepted the fact she's in love. She is in love" she tried to convince him.  
  
"With a Malfoy of all people!" he yelled. He couldn't take this. I hadn't given him enough time. He wasn't ready to accept it yet. As soon as he yelled it he was gone. The door slammed, and he was down the stairs in a heart beat. I remained on the bed with Ginny.  
  
"Ginny . . . I" I began. She cut me off.  
  
"No explanation is necessary. I'm not the one you need to sell. Hermione, you have known me for quite some time. I am a hopeless romantic. If you say you are in love then you are. You know what love is. You had it with Harry. And I must say it's too bad that didn't work out". I couldn't believe she was taking it this well. She was an easy sell.  
  
"Oh, Ginny! I am so happy to hear you say that! I am in love with him, I am!" I cried out to her. I couldn't have smiled any bigger. "I just wish your brother and Harry would come around".  
  
"Give them time, they are just prats" was all she said to me. She smiled back and I leaned over to hug her. We had been such great friends, it was a relief to know that this situation would not change anything between us. "Let's just head down the common room, it's probably almost time for lunch" she finishes.  
  
I walk down to the common room only to see Harry and Ron in deep conversation. Harry's hair looked extremely disheveled, and his eyes were weary. They look up at me as I walk in but no words are spoken.  
  
I can take a hint. I walk out of the common room and decide to just take a stroll by myself. I think I could use a little library time.  
  
****Harry****  
  
I am so freaking tired. I have never felt like this in my life. Staying up until four in the morning just should not be done.  
  
By the time I wake up breakfast is over, and it's almost time for lunch. The castle is frigid, and I can tell Christmas will soon be upon us. That can only mean one thing, I think with a groan. There will be another damned Yule Ball.  
  
Well, I figure I might as well get dressed and head down to see Ron. Last night gave me a lot to think about, and I know that I have to talk to him. If I don't tell him what I know, then we might not get over this thing with Hermione. I slip on some jeans and a big green sweater and find my way down the stairs.  
  
The common room is so warm. This has been the best home I have ever had. The fire is crackling, and students are everywhere around me smiling and laughing. I still can't believe this is my last year here.  
  
I don't see Ron right away so I just take a seat beside the fire. I watch all the younger students laughing and having a good time, and memories flood through my head. There are so many memories of the three of us. I can't help but feel like I have lost Hermione. I can't help but feel we aren't the same anymore.  
  
I reach in my pocket and pull out a picture. It's a picture that I carry with me everyday in my life. Looking back at me were three children. Three kids were in their first year at Hogwarts and becoming fast friends. Ron and I were sitting on a bench and Hermione was stretched across our laps. We were laughing and smiling. I would occasionally kiss her forehead in the picture while Ron would shoot me dirty looks. It was one of the most fun days of my life. I wouldn't trade this one picture for the world.  
  
Soon I see Ron coming down from the girls' dormitory. I intend to talk about him. And I now have a plan.  
  
He walks down to me, looking at me curiously. "What do you have there, mate?" he asks me. I show him what I hold in my hands. A huge smile takes over his freckled face. He doesn't take his eyes off of it, he just sits down beside me. he takes it from my hands and studies it. "I miss those days" he says sadly. "There aren't going to be many more of them". It saddens me also.  
  
"I know. I think if we want more memories, we have some problems to work out" I respond to him. He looks up at me. He knows what I am talking about.  
  
"Look, Harry, I can't stand back and let Hermione be with Malfoy. It's sickening. I agree we have problems to fix. The main one would be how to get Malfoy away from her" he says straightforwardly.  
  
"Ron, seriously, shut up. I think you need to understand something here. Hermione and Draco are really in love. This isn't just a stupid crush" I try to tell him.  
  
"Harry, why are you taking his side? Why are you sticking up for him here?" he asks eyeing me suspiciously.  
  
"It's nothing, Ron. I just talked to Draco last night. He's different" I try to explain, but the words aren't there.  
  
"Oh, it's nothing huh? It's just our best friend with the enemy. Yeah, that's nothing isn't it? You know Harry, when you get some balls let me know. When you are ready to stand up to Malfoy come and get me. Then I will be ready to listen to you. Until then, I am going to find a way to make this right" he says with force before standing up and walking back to his room.  
  
I failed Hermione . . . and Draco for that matter. Don't get me wrong, I am not his friend. But I am no longer his enemy. We have an understanding now. He poured out his soul to me. I don't fully understand why he trusted me with so much information, but I almost feel lucky. I know he doesn't tell just anyone about his life. And I now understand why he has always been such a bastard. It's not an excuse, but I feel his pain. And that's really saying something.  
  
Now I just have to get Ron to come around. I know eventually he will. He always does. He and Hermione fight all the time. I know he is hurt that she didn't pick him. I know deep down he loves her too. But I will help him to understand if it's the last thing I do. Hermione needs us. I need all three of us to be friends as well. We all need each other badly.  
  
A/N: Okay, I am going to keep writing. I know this chapter is quite uneventful, but never fear. I will write again tomorrow night if I have time. My sister is having a baby on Thursday, so I'm trying to get lots of stuff done before I head home for a couple days for that. I hope you enjoy. I really put a lot of effort into this chapter. If you have any ideas or suggestions for me, I am open to them! Review and tell me what you think! 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12  
  
****Draco  
  


* * *

  
I stumble out of bed, and when I say stumble I mean fell on my face. My blankets were knotted around my legs in a way you can't imagine. I find my way over to the mirror in my room and a disheveled blonde is staring back. I rub my eyes and yawn. Morning came much too early this morning.  
  
I had one of the worst dreams last night. I guess after talking to Potter a mountain of memories came pouring back into my head. I was reminded of my childhood again. All I can remember from the dream is there were death eaters, and I was tied up. The rest of the details I pray to forget about. These dreams don't occur often, and it kills me inside when they do. These are the times I wish I was more like Weasel or Hermione. They didn't have difficult lives; they don't have to endure the nightmares.  
  
Quickly, I slip into a pair of khaki pants and a sweater. It's absolutely freezing in this castle. I have a quidditch game today, which is all the more reason I need some sleep tonight. A piece of parchment on the desk beckons me closer, and I pick it up. It's a note from Hermione. She is out with her friends, but she still brought me breakfast. It blows my mind that someone actually cares about my well-being. I will never get used to that. I make my way down into the common room where the breakfast awaits consumption on the counter.  
  
I pick up the plate, and realize the food is ice cold. I throw it in the trash, but of course I intend to tell Hermione I ate it all. Maybe I should go to Gryffindor to see her . . . but maybe that's a horrible idea. But it doesn't matter; my feet already seem to be carrying me there against my better judgment.  
  
The corridors are freezing, but I continue on my journey. I can tell I'm in Gryffindor territory already. The décor on the walls is red and gold, and the portraits don't look excited to see a Slytherin in their midst. I pass a few students who give me puzzled looks, but to my immense relief they ask no question as to why I am here.  
  
I continue walking, and I am almost there. I turn one last corner, and groan at the site I am faced with. A certain freckled red head stands before me. Seems he had the idea of going to the hall, and I am in his way. He continues to come ever closer to me with a look of spite and malice on his face.  
  
"Malfoy, what do you think you are doing? This is not your territory" he spits out at me.  
  
"Where's Hermione?" is all he will get out of me at this moment. I simply refuse to stoop to his level. I look him in the eye letting him know that I am not kidding around with him anymore.  
  
"You don't need to know". I open my mouth to respond to this, but he seems eager to express his feelings of hatred. "You know, all you have done is cause problems. We don't want you around Hermione. She doesn't need a ferret like you!" he shouts at me. I can understand his anger. I admit, I know I was a jerk to him. I just wish he didn't make things so damned difficult sometimes.  
  
"Was that supposed to hurt my feelings?" I ask in a mocking tone. "Do you really think she wants someone as poor as you?" The old Draco is resurfacing. "So do yourself a favor and be her friend, not her father. Unlike you, she can take care of herself".  
  
"Watch your back, Malfoy! If you don't stay away we will take some action!"  
  
"Oh, I am so scared. Please don't hurt me" I whine in a child's voice. I pretend to bite my nails in fear and sneer at him. "You are more likely to hurt yourself that to kill me" I scoff at him.  
  
Before I know it his wand is pointed straight at my chest. Pure hatred glows in his eyes. The effect of all my taunting is all too obvious. I have pushing him over the edge.  
  
"Tomoastosis!" he screams at me, but I easily dodge it. Behind me I hear a high pitched scream that is all too familiar to me. As my head whips around my hair hits me in the face. Behind me in a crumpled mess is Hermione.  
  
She lies on the cold stone floor like a fallen angel. Her long hair covers her face and her arms and legs are shot out at different angles. She looks less than graceful.  
  
"Hermione!?!" I yell as I run to her side. "What did you fucking do, you bastard!" I yell at Weasley. His face is ashen and his jaw is on the floor. "Oh, Hermione" I whisper as I brush the hair from her face. Her eyes are closed and her breathing is shallow. Although, I am happy that she is still breathing, she needs medical attention desperately.  
  
Ron runs to her side. "I'll take her to the hospital wing" he tries to convince me. He's trying to push me off to the side, but I will not allow this goon to touch her.  
  
"Fuck off!" I yell in his face. I shove him to the floor before yelling again "You did this to her! You have done enough! Fuck off!" I am worried for her safety now. Weasley's hexes have never gone right as a vision of slugs passes through my memory.  
  
I scoop her up in my arms. Her head lolls on my shoulder. She is light and extremely easy to carry. I look down on her, and she looks so sad and helpless. "What have we done?" I whisper as I look down on her pale face.  
  
"It was your fault" Weasley pipes up. "If you hadn't been in Gryffindor territory I wouldn't have been pushed to hex you" he tries to cover up. He is to blame for this. Some best friend he is. He can't even help hexing his friends.  
  
"Don't you get it? Or are you dumber than I ever imagined? Our fighting did this to her!" I yell. He doesn't seem to comprehend at all. Here is his best friend looking more ill than I have ever known her to be in her life, and he is trying to just fight with me again. He really is dumber than I ever imagined.  
  
I carry her through the halls and up to the hospital wing. The weasel follows me the whole way, but I have decided to just ignore him. I need to take care of my girl. I need to protect her.  
  
I open the door to the medical room of the castle. Madam Pomfrey is busying herself with potions and medications, but she soon notices our arrival. The sight of Hermione unconscious sends her over to us in a frenzy.  
  
"What happened?" she asks as she motions for me to lay Hermione down on the bed.  
  
"Weasley here hexed her" I admit to her. There is no way I will be blamed for this. He did this to her, not me. Unfortunately, the odds of anyone believing me are slim to none. "He used the tomomastiosa spell" I finish. I'm not exactly sure what this spell does, but I have seen my father use it many times. Weasley had definitely tried to do me some serious harm today.  
  
Madam Pomfrey furrows her brow and leans over to examine the poor girl on the bed. She pulls out different instruments, but they draw no helpful results.  
  
"Well, I am not sure what you have done to her, but I am sure that you are to go see the headmaster at once. This is a serious circumstance. This spell seems to have put her in a coma, and I am not sure how long it will last, or how to cure it" she barks at us. "Honestly, hexing the Head Girl. It's horrible" she mutters to herself.  
  
I take a long look at the brunette laying in the cold uncomfortable bed. My eyes sting, but I refuse to cry. She will be fine, I know she will. But it breaks my heart to see her look like this. I kiss her forehead and back away slowly. Weasley shoots me a dirty look, but I don't care. He will pay, and pay dearly.  
  
We head out the door. I walk at a brisk pace, as I do not want to be alongside the weasel. We make the trek to the headmaster's office, and soon we are standing at the gargoyle statue. I won't lie, I am nervous. My fighting has never put a student in a coma before. This is serious. We don't talk at all. Only the sound of our echoing footsteps can be heard. I ring the bell and soon we are admitted entrance.  
  
I've been in this office before, but never for such a reason. I stride in to see the old man behind his desk. He looks through his half moon spectacles, but I can still see the anger flashing in his eyes. Weasley looks as though he could wet his pants at any second.  
  
"What can I do for you?" he asks us, but it's quite clear he already knows.  
  
"Sir, it's Hermione" Weasley begins. "We cursed her".  
  
"You cursed her" I emphasized. "I had no intentions of fighting. You drew your wand. You said the spell. End of story".  
  
"Give it a rest Mr. High and Mighty" he shoots back getting worked up. "You are just as guilty".  
  
"Au contraire" speaks up a portrait from behind the desk. "I was there, I saw it happen. Mr. Weasley drew his wand. Mr. Malfoy dodged it, and Miss Granger was in the wrong place at the wrong time".  
  
"Well, that clears things up. The two of you need to learn something. Mr. Malfoy, you are indeed involved with Miss Granger. Mr. Weasley, you are undoubtedly one of her best friends. I think you two need to learn to get along. As you know you will be punished for your actions. You will be working together in the library to find a cure for Miss Granger. You will be researching for us".  
  
This hit me where it hurt. I have to work with the weasel and I have to get along with him. Fine. I can do this. We are told that we will do this for two hours every night . . Indefinitely.  
  
I head out the door and straight up to the hospital wing where I remain for hours. I do nothing but sit on the bed beside the woman I love and hold her hand. I only wish I could do more for her. I whisper goodnight in her ear before a fall asleep in a chair beside her. I can't believe this happened. I can't believe I let this happen.  
  
****Ron  
  


* * *

  
I can't believe I let this happen. I can't believe I let Malfoy get to me so much that I actually tried to hex him. I can't believe I hurt Hermione. It makes me want to cry, but I am stronger than that. After my run in with Dumbledore I head up to my room. Malfoy did nothing but rat me out, but who didn't expect that? Now all I have to look forward to is evenings in the library with him. Great, that's just great.  
  
I make my way back to the common room. Harry is there and he asks what's going on. I am forced to retell the story, and he looks at me with a flash of dangerous anger in his eyes. Harry has always had a bit of a temper.  
  
"What the hell did you do Ron?" he yells at me.  
  
"I was trying to protect her" is my only defense. But my protection got her injured. My protection could have gotten her killed.  
  
"Well you did a real great job of that" he says disgustedly. "Why couldn't you listen to me? Why can't you see that she loves him, and he loves her?" he asks me.  
  
I can't believe this. This can't be true. "Don't bullshit me Harry. They aren't in love. He's fooled her. He must have messed with her head, I don't know. But they aren't in love. They just can't be!" I insist.  
  
"Go to the hospital wing!" he yells back. He's in my face now with his own face glowing red in anger. "I bet you ten galleons he's in there with her right now! Go see for yourself! Maybe someday you will learn to step back and let people live their own lives!" and with that he stomps off to his room. He's wrong. I know he's wrong. As soon as he is asleep I head off to our room too.  
  
After a night of no sleep I am up early. I sit in the common room for what feels like hours in silence. I am there with just me and my thoughts. I honestly felt like I was protecting my Hermione. But then I remind myself, she isn't mine. For years, I have felt she was mine. I have loved her in more ways than one. She is a best friend, but I always wanted her to be more than that. I missed my chance.  
  
I acted rashly. Now I have to go back and fix what I have broken. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done. I refuse to accept Draco, but maybe I don't have to. But I still have to mend this situation.  
  
I walk to the hospital wing. Half of me wants to see my girl, and half of me wants to prove a point. Draco won't be there. I know he won't.  
  
I quickly approach the door and swing it open silently. He is there. And I am shocked. I creep in unnoticed, and stand there looking in on the scene. She is still laying there like a piece of stone. But he continues to hold her hand. He sits attentively as though his presence might wake her up. His eyes never leave her. Every few moments he kisses her forehead or her hand and whispers he loves her. I have never seen a sight like this before in my life. Tears are falling from his eyes, and he begins to speak.  
  
"Hermione, wake up. I need you" he begins softly. "I'm so sorry. I'm just so sorry" he says, and this is where the crying really begins. "Maybe this won't work. Maybe we were stupid to believe people would accept us. If your safety is an issue, then I will stay away".  
  
My heart is breaking. I see the tears fall from his eyes. Hermione is unconscious, so I know he is not putting on a show for her. He is speaking from his heart. I feel a weight on my shoulders. I turn around and Harry was behind me.  
  
"I told you so" was all he said. He turned and walked away. I stand there for only a few more moments before following suit. This doesn't mean that this is right. I am still not sold on the idea.  
  
I follow him to the Great Hall where breakfast is being served. Ginny gives me disapproving looks. Harry is sitting beside her, so I know she has been told the whole story. I seem to be the topic of rumors this week now. That's just great. I get nothing but dirty looks all day long. I know it shouldn't affect me, but it does. I know I have to make this right, and I will. I will fix this by finding the cure for my spell. Where did I learn that spell anyway? I don't even remember. It doesn't matter, I just have to fix this.  
  
I have my chance now. It's time to meet in the library. It's time to face Draco. Wish me luck.  
  
A/N: The last thing I want to do is rush this thing with Ron and Draco. They aren't going to get along anytime soon. So Ron realizes Draco loves Hermione and all, but there will still be some issues and stuff. I hope you all enjoy! REVIEW  
  


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PS: How did you like the spell I made up? That one is thanks to my anatomy class. It's not a real word, but after learning mediastinum and atrioventricular and stuff, it's a lot easier to make up crazy words 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
  
I sit beside Hermione and I wonder, 'How could this have ever happened?'. It's all so surreal. After six years of hurting her, I guess I just can't stop. She's silent, cold, and distant. But that's to be expected. I desperately wish I could get through to her. I wish she knew how I felt, or what I was saying. I want so badly to tell her how sorry I am.  
  
I hold onto her small hand all night. It's all I can do at this point. I know she can't hear me, but I carry on a conversation anyway. Sometime during the night I took her blanket off her own bed upstairs and brought it down for her. She looks more comfortable this way, even though she seems to have no reaction.  
  
Quidditch has been cancelled today. One reason was the Gryffindor's keeper was being punished. The other reason: I refused to play. I will not leave Hermione's side. She needs me now more than ever. And I need her too.  
  
The morning after everything happened I wake up in the chilly room. I am freezing under no blanket, and being curled up in my chair is not comfortable at all. I look over at her, and she is still in a deep sleep. She has made no changes, for the worse or better. My heart sinks. Deep down I had been hoping for a miraculous cure.  
  
I scoot the chair closer to her bed. Her hand feels so cold and stiff in mine. It's not the warm soft hand I remember so well. I feel a pang of guilt. Looking on her makes my eyes burn. Tears are building up and soon they tumble to the floor, knocking down every wall I had built up around me. But there is no one here to make fun of me. I am safe here.  
  
"I'm so sorry" I whisper to her. "I am so very very sorry. This wasn't supposed to happen". Then it occurs to me. If Weasley doesn't change then Hermione and I can't be together. Maybe I'm not worth it to her. Maybe I am not worthy after all.  
  
A knife just stabbed my chest. Maybe I have to say goodbye to my stupid ideas of true love. I was fine before her. I didn't hurt like this. A voice inside me speaks up. 'Yeah I was fine, but since then, I have never been happier'. I should just be alone. She clouded my vision and now I feel nothing but pain. What's new?  
  
I don't blame her for anything. I don't blame her for being the person she is and making me fall in love with her. This was my fault for believing it would be okay. I will take care of her until she is better . . . but then I am afraid I have to break her heart.  
  
The slam of a door is heard behind me and I turn my head. No one is around. I am disappointed. Neither Potter or Weasley has been up here. I expected more from them. They never fail to disappoint me.  
  
The minutes creep by. The silence around here is deafening. I never falter, and I never leave her side. I continue talking to her, and when I run out of things to say I just read her our homework. After what felt like weeks, the clock finally strikes nine. I know it's time to meet Weasley in the library. This should be fun.  
  
****Ron****  
  
I find a seat in the library and sit down to wait for Malfoy. He's late as usual. Just like a Malfoy, he has no respect for anyone. He strides in looking calm, but somber. He sits down in the seat across from me and looks me in the eye.  
  
"Shall we begin?" he asks me. He is so nonchalant . . . arrogant prick.  
  
"Whatever" I respond. Wow, that was so witty. My anger level is again reaching a dangerous level. I stand up and pull a book off the shelf and Malfoy follows suit. Scanning the index for the spell, I find nothing. Out of luck, I slam the book shut and grab another. This is going to take forever.  
  
Four hours later we are still in the library. We have this seemingly unspoken rule about no talking, but it's almost enough to drive anyone mad.  
  
"Why haven't you been up to see Hermione at all?" Malfoy asks shattering the wall of silence.  
  
"I have" I respond. Okay, so maybe I hadn't, but how would he know?  
  
"Liar" he accuses. "I think you should have a little more respect than to lie right through your teeth like that".  
  
"How would you know?" I ask. He is always trying to push my buttons. He is nothing but an instigator.  
  
"Well, I haven't left her side, which is exactly what you and Potter should want to do. But you haven't even come to see her at all".  
  
"I came".  
  
"Oh yeah, when?" he challenges.  
  
"You didn't notice me. You were too busy crying your little eyes out" I snap at him. That blow hit him hard. That was way below the belt and I know it. I smile inwardly at the effect I have on him. His eyes narrow in anger. If looks could kill, I'd be dead.  
  
"Hmm, proud of yourself aren't you? Maybe you should be crying too. Your best friend is unconscious in a hospital bed you know! Yeah, I cried. I feel guilty. It's my fault this happened. She should have never been hurt by me! And I am not ashamed to admit it!" he yells at me. His usually milky white skin is glowing red. I can feel the heat of his anger. I hate to admit when the ferret is right.  
  
I lower my head and say nothing. That's one point Malfoy. Bring on the next book. We need to cure Hermione, and put a stop to this spending time with Malfoy crap.  
  
Sadly, the night is over and no cure has been found. Malfoy remains in his seat, seemingly unaware of what time it is. He is half asleep while I retreat up to my bed. I guess Mione will just have to wait one more night.  
  
****Draco****  
  
That jerk just got up and left. Sure, our time is technically up, but doesn't he feel guilty? Doesn't he want to figure this out as soon as possible?  
  
I remain in my seat with books scattered all around me. They are all open to various pages, but none to that key page that tells me what I need to know. I am determined to figure this out tonight.  
  
I lay my head down for one second. I blink my eyes for just one second. My eyelids are heavy and it's hard to hold my head up. But I must continue. I must stay awake. Suddenly, I open my eyes. Sunlight is streaming in through the windows. I swear I only closed my eyes for a second. But the night is over. I fell asleep and I wasted my precious time.  
  
Once upright, I wipe away the puddle of drool on the table in disgust. It's one more day Hermione is sick and one more day I must go through without her. Angrily, I slam the books shut that have piled up around me. Leaving them on the table I storm out. Classes are going to start soon, but I need to see Hermione first.  
  
I step out into the corridor and head to the stairs. As I approach I see someone sitting on the steps. My feet carry me closer and the boy comes into focus. It must be my lucky day . . . it's the Weasel.  
  
"What are you doing?" I ask with a laugh.  
  
"Trick stair" he mumbles refusing to look me in the eye. It's easy to see he won't be asking for my help anytime soon. So I offer my hand instead. I know that this is out of my character, but I seem to be changing. I'm learning to swallow my pride. Weasley could do the same.  
  
"No way. I don't need help from a ferret" he snaps back.  
  
"Just take it".  
  
"No".  
  
"Do it". Reluctantly, he finally agrees. He grabs my hand and I hoist him out. He lets go as soon as he is free. Standing before me he looks around and mumbles a quick thanks under his breath. Quickly, he escapes my presence. I am really getting sick of this guy and his stupid pride.  
  
Once I finally arrive at the hospital wing, a deep voice can be heard from inside. Potter can be seen sitting by Hermione's side, holding her hand and talking animatedly. My knuckles lightly tap on the door and he turns around to see who's there.  
  
"Mind if I come in?"  
  
"No, I was just getting ready to leave anyway" he replies while standing up from his bedside chair. "How was the library? Ron wouldn't talk" he informs me.  
  
"Nothing good came of it. And the library is so expansive, it could take all year to get through half the books" I tell him. I'm discouraged.  
  
"It's times like these we could use Hermione" Potter says with a half- hearted smile.  
  
"Or my dad" I tell him. He has a weird look on his face. "Well, the only thing he was good for was hexing" I clarify.  
  
"I can come help you guys tonight. I want a cure as badly as you . . . and don't let Ron get to you. He may be a bit of a stubborn idiot, but he's a great guy".  
  
"I'll just have to take your word for it" I reply as Harry leaves the room. Truth be told, Weasley does have those damned morals that I never had, I know he is a good guy. He just hates me with a passion.  
  
I am left staring at my unconscious girlfriend. Even in this state, she is extremely beautiful, and I am reminded of why I have been so sad lately. I want desperately to feel her warm touch again. I want to feel soft lips on mine.  
  
I have time to tell her I love her, and I give her a soft kiss. Her lips are cold, and there is no feeling. She emits no emotion, and it pains me. I remind myself it's time for classes. I proceed only to take notes for Hermione. She would kill me if I didn't.  
  
****No POV****  
  
Three weeks passed quickly by, and they brought with them no clues to a cure. Homework piled up around and Draco found himself buried under it. He spent so much time in the library, that he no longer paid as close attention to his work. It was fortunate that good grades came so naturally to him.  
  
Times in the library were often spent with much fighting, but Harry's assistance made up for it. More books were covered in less time, but there was just no hope. Dark spells like this one were not found in Hogwarts. Each night the boys went to sleep empty handed.  
  
One particular night Draco decided to just sit by the fire. It was something he always enjoyed doing he was really missing her. The warmth made him forget about the chilling cold outside and soon he was drifting off into a deep sleep that his body so desperately yearned for.  
  
But sleep brought him nightmares. It always had. Soon his tired mind was at work. He was back at Malfoy Manor and his father was thrusting books into his small child-like hands. He was only a mere six years old.  
  
"Daddy, I don't wanna!" wailed a little Draco. "I wanna play outside!"  
  
"You will learn, and your lessons begin today" his father sneered at him. The little boy was forced to open the books and learn the dark contents that it contained. Grotesque pictures flooded his eyes. Pictures of people in odd positions that were obviously being tortured. It was sickening, especially for a small child.  
  
The dreams never lasted long, and Draco always woke in a cold sweat. As usual he sat upright immediately. The memories were a heavy burden to carry.  
  
"Malfoy Manor" he whispered in a the still silent room. It was as if a light bulb had just flashed on in his head. Like a flash he was off the couch and sprinting towards Dumbledore's office. He had the book he needed . . . it was just a matter of finding it.  
  
His athletic legs couldn't carry him fast enough down the long corridors. Even though it was freezing, beads of sweat were falling down his face. It had never seemed to take so long to get to Dumbledore before.  
  
He found himself out of breath in front of the stone gargoyle that signified he was at his destination. After frantically ringing the bell, the entrance opened and he stepped inside. The old man was sitting behind his desk in purple pajamas and a night cap.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, what can I do for you at this time of night?" he asked in a sleepy voice.  
  
"Sir, can I have permission to go home?" he asked hurriedly, still panting from his run.  
  
"Am I to assume this is for Hermione?" he asked looking down at the blonde boy.  
  
"Yes" is all he answered.  
  
"Take Mr. Weasley, use the floo network to get there. Get what you need, and get back here. No fooling around".  
  
"Don't worry" Draco told him before taking off to get Ron. He couldn't wait to get the book. He would finally get the information he needed.  
  
Ron was summoned reluctantly from a very deep sleep. Soon they were ready and standing over a fire place. Grabbing a handful of floo powder they both stepped inside, each yelling "Malfoy Manor". They were gone in an instant.  
  
Dumbledore smiled to himself amused at the lengths Draco was going to for Hermione. It was a relationship he had never expected. He also thought Draco was trying harder to get along with Ron. It would be foolish to assume those two would ever really be friends, but one must never give up hope.  
  
A/N: I am so so so so so sorry for the wait!!! I have been incredibly busy. This week I had 5 exams and a paper due. Last week my sister had a baby. It's just been insane! Please enjoy my story, and I will try to post the next one soon, as my spring break will be starting tomorrow. REVIEW!!!! 


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14  
  
Green light is flashing around me. I just can't seem to get used to this floo thing. Once I am safely inside the grate, suddenly I fly out. Rolling on the floor I feel Weasley right behind me. We are in. Now it's time to find what we came here for.  
  
No words are spoken. With as much speed as I have, I speed up the grand staircase and up to the third floor of the manor. This place is so familiar to me, and inspires a hate deep in my soul. It only makes me want to find the book faster. I will beat this curse. In a way, this is like a crusade against my family . . . against the dark side.  
  
The library is so close, yet it feels so far away. My legs are athletic, yet I feel like I can't get there fast enough. I sprint to the end of the hall and enter a circular room. This is the room where I spent most of my childhood years. This is where I was forced to learn dark spells. This is where I felt my most pain.  
  
Half of the room is windows, and moonlight spills through. The trees outside allow for creepy shadows in the library of this monstrous house.  
  
"It's a big red book" is all I can say to him. "You'll know it when you see it". Ron looks less than convinced, but still takes to the shelves that go floor to ceiling. I scan as fast as I can. I can't believe this. I am so close to the cure. After what feels like years, I will finally have Hermione back.  
  
The thought hits me like a freight train. I can't have her. I have to say goodbye. I can't hurt her anymore. I will not allow myself to hurt her anymore. Maybe she would be happier with the Weasel, or someone like him. She doesn't need someone like me. She doesn't need someone that causes her so much pain.  
  
I straighten up. It doesn't matter. I will make her happy again. I will make her better, and then get on with my life. But I owe her a cure. I owe her her life. That's just the way it has to be.  
  
I step back and stare around the room. It's a huge room, and there are hundreds of books. This could take a while.  
  
"I see it!" I hear Ron yell. "It's up there!" he points to a spot near the ceiling. I run toward it, but it's out of reach.  
  
"Get the ladder!" I yell to him. But the ladder won't reach. It seems no one is taking care of the mansion like they used to. The track the ladder used to take to go around the shelves is dilapidated and no longer works.  
  
"Ok, move that table over here instead!" I try again. He moves over a desk that I once used to do my dark work at for my father. Crawling up on top of it I realize I still can't reach the book. Ron is no taller than I, neither of us can get it.  
  
Another thought hits me. Teamwork. This is what it's going to take. Well crap. This is the last thing I want to do tonight, but it's the one thing I actually have to do.  
  
"Get up here" I tell him. He looks at me with an odd expression, but he does what he is told. "Now, you are stronger than me, let me up on your shoulders".  
  
"What?"  
  
"Shut up and do it" I persuade him. Now is not the time to yell at him, and it's not the time to second guess what I'm saying because of our past. I crawl up on his shoulders, but we are wobbly. Just before we hit the floor I manage to grab the book.  
  
"This is it!" I yell. "We got it! Let's go!" and as quick as we hit the floor we are down the stairs and to the fire place. Grabbing the powder, we find ourselves back in that circular office we all know so well.  
  
"Ahh, I see you have found what we have all been desperately searching for" says a wise old voice. "Let's take it to Miss. Granger, shall we?"  
  
He leads us to the hospital wing in a slow, patient pace. The only problem is I have no more patience left. I want to get there now. I want this nightmare to be over finally.  
  
The door opens and we all walk in. Dumbledore proceeds to Madam Pomfrey, and Weasley follows. I, however, take another route. I am going to sit by Hermione's side while they figure this out.  
  
Her hands are cold, and she looks alone. Her face is of comfort to me, but I know what I must do. "I'm so sorry Hermione" I begin to speak. A tear runs down my cheek. "This is all my fault you know. It's all my fault that this happens. I hurt you. I don't want to, but I do. That's why we have to end this. It's gotten out of control. If I am not around, then I can't hurt you. But I will always love you".  
  
Dumbledore comes back with Madam Pomfrey and Weasley. They have a vial of solution that I can only assume is the cure to our problems. Opening Hermione's mouth slightly, they tip the contents down her throat. At first, nothing happens. I am crushed. Tears begin to freely flow, when suddenly she coughs. Her sweet eyes flutter open, and squint in the harsh light. Looking around, she evaluates her situation. She looks at me and my heart melts.  
  
"You can't leave me. That's not fair" she says in a mere whisper.  
  
"How did you . . .?"  
  
"I heard you. I heard everything. I could hear, but I couldn't speak. And that's torture. You can't leave me just because this happened Draco. You can't just back out. You can't run away!" she says more strongly. Her voice is starting to come back and she tries to move. "I love you!" she says with all her strength. She starts to cry and I grab her. Picking her up off the bed I hold her in her arms. Sure, there are people there staring at us, but I don't care anymore. I love this girl, and I always will.  
  
"I know it's not fair. I know I should walk away, and know you are safer without me, but I can't do that. I can't walk away now. I love you too" I whisper. I sit on the bed still holding her in my arms. "Marry me" I whisper with my lips touching her ear.  
  
"What?" she asked, taken by surprise.  
  
"Marry me. Just say you will. Just say you want to spend your life with me, and only me. Say yes".  
  
"Of course" is her only answer.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, I am afraid we are going to have to let Miss Granger get some rest. You need to get back to your dormitory".  
  
"Rest? She's been in that bed for long enough. Now she needs to move around. She needs to stretch her legs. She needs to be with me" I plead to them. "Please".  
  
She turns the headmaster, who reluctantly allows me to stay. The two adults walk out. Weasley stands there smiling. "Hi, Hermione" he manages to say. "I'm so glad you are alright".  
  
"Yes I am fine" is all she said to him.  
  
His smile fades. "Well, I'm sorry for this. I'm sorry that you had to go through this. I'm just really sorry" he finishes before leaving the room. So the guilt finally hit him. He finally feels bad. Well, it's about damn time.  
  
I stay the night in that room again. I stay with her, and she knows I'm there. She has always known I was there. This time when I say 'I love you', finally she says it back.  
  
****Hermione****  
  
Feels nice to be able to move. It's great to be able to talk back. But I'm troubled. I hear running. I know people are rushing inside the wing, and I can only hope it's because they have found a cure. The only problem is, Draco is by my side. And he's telling me he's going to leave me. He's telling me it has to end. Why? What have I done to deserve this? This isn't fair.  
  
They open my mouth and pour the medicine in. It's icy cold as it goes down. But it gives me new life. I take in a deep breath and open my eyes. Finally, I see the world again. Finally, I can see Draco's face again. It's a heavenly sight.  
  
I am back. I am refreshed. And thanks to Draco, I have not missed one bit of schoolwork. Little did he know that reading it to me would actually be helpful for me.  
  
He lays down in the bed beside me, and we fall asleep together. He's asked me to marry him. I will marry him. I will love him forever. This has been the best day of my life. I have a new respect for life, especially my own. Now I will take it day by day, and tomorrow will be a tough one. Tomorrow, I will have to face the rest of the school. Wish me luck.  
  
A/N: Ok, it's been a while. I am so sorry. Let me tell ya, I am so stressed out. With at least one test a week, and too many assignments to count, I just haven't had time. This story is almost over, sadly. Good thing I only have a little over one month of school left. Keep checking for updates, and of course REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	15. Final Chapter

Chapter 15 The Final Chapter  
  
I was up. I could finally see. The light was harsh, it's all so clear to me now. The first thing I saw was Draco's face. His bright and shining face brought a smile to my lips. It had been so long since I had laid eyes on him, though I had longed to see him with every fiber of my being. I looked up at him, and he looked down on me, both with tears in our eyes. I had heard every word he had said since I had been stuck in this bed. I knew he was going to leave me.  
  
I begged him to stay. It didn't take much to sway his opinion. He desperately wanted me safe, but neither of us could live without the other. He was my rock, he kept me sane. I couldn't help but to love this boy. He had come into my life with a pure hatred, but it had turned into a love so true that I could not believe what was going on. But there he is, and I know that this is all true. I found someone who loved me with their soul.  
  
I didn't blame him for anything that happened. I didn't believe the incident was his fault at all. I didn't even blame Ron. Their tempers would flare sooner or later, once the truth came out, and my friends found out we were together. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. What bothered me the most was that Ron wasn't there for me. He never came to visit me. Of course, we made up. I forgive him now.  
  
Draco scooped me up and held me in his arms. He looks deep into my eyes, and I can feel his warmth spreading through my weak body. He asked me to marry him. What could I say? I loved him. I said yes. I know it's crazy. Only 17 years old, and we decided to marry. But I can't help it if I know what I want. Draco was what I wanted.  
  
It took a while to get used to classes again. Everyone talked, and of course, whispers followed us everywhere we went. I didn't notice anymore. I was immune to it. All I could see was Draco. After an experience like mine, you take stock in the things you have. Every time I looked in Draco's eyes I fell in love all over again. His once piercing and penetrating silver eyes, were now soft and comforting. His once aristocratic platinum hair was now adorable. I loved him with all my heart.  
  
His hand always found mine in a comforting way. He made my life so much easier, always reminding me that he was there, and he was the only one that mattered. I found in him one more best friend to add to my collection. I found someone I could love, trust and depend on. He was someone special to me.  
  
Draco helped me to climb all the way to Minister of Magic. He always put me and my ambitions first. He wanted nothing to do with the Ministry, after what his father had to do with that place. He had just had enough of it.  
  
After the night he and Ron had found the book and my cure, they had forever been friends. They had worked together to save my life. Ron couldn't ignore the way Draco fought for my life. He knew it was love. It was a blessing in disguise. Draco fit in with our group. It never stopped expanding. We all lived close to one another, and all our children grew up together. They couldn't help but be best friends, and of course, all attended Hogwarts. My life was a fairy tale.  
  
Now I lie in my bed. Draco passed away a few years ago. It saddened me deeply, but life must go on. And it did go on. I became closer to my remaining friends. But now it's my time too. That's why I write this story. I write it for future generations; I write it for my children. Know that love is blind. Don't try to stop it. You may fall for your mortal enemy, but let it happen. Follow your heart, because if you don't, you won't be happy. Even though it's hard, it does pay off. It will always make you happy.  
  
Draco and I were married for 52 years. Believe it or not, it was not enough time together. I wouldn't have traded it for the world. If you had told me, when I was 12, that I would marry Draco Malfoy, I would have laughed in your face. I lay here now, at 72 years old, wishing that he was still with me. Isn't it funny the way life works? All of the trouble, fights, and drama was completely and totally worth it. It gave me a life of happiness, smiles, and laughter. I found a fairy tale life with my own worst enemy. I wouldn't have it any other way.  
  
A/N: I hope this chapter is to your liking! I know, it ended fast. I already wrote another story. It's just one chapter. It's Harry/Draco slash. I thought I would try my hand at that. I think it's really great. It's a good story. Please check it out. It's called "The Looking Glass". It's not really slashy, it's dramatic. Anyway, READ AND REVIEW!!!! 


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